


Clash of the Fates

by AliceBDS



Series: Clash of the Fates [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Anakin Redemption Arc, Anakin/Ahsoka Sibling Relationship, Barriss Redemption Arc, Canon Divergence - Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Canon Divergence - Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Fix-It, Light Angst, Post-Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:47:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 44,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24028384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliceBDS/pseuds/AliceBDS
Summary: Sometimes, the course of life is changed with one decision.When Ahsoka Tano requests the help of her former master in liberating Mandalore, a twist of destiny sends them to Coruscant to rescue Chancellor Palpatine instead, altering the course of galactic history forever.
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, Barriss Offee/Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala & Ahsoka Tano, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Series: Clash of the Fates [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2064123
Comments: 109
Kudos: 543





	1. An Old Friend, Not Forgotten

Sometimes, the course of life is changed with one decision.

As she stared at the holoprojector before her, Ahsoka found herself with doubts again. It had only been six months since she last spoke to Anakin, and yet it felt like ten years. Calling him, asking for his help, was the right choice. So why did it feel so difficult to actually enter his contact code and press the button?

Life had seemed a bit simpler three hours earlier, when she had finally escaped the Pykes and returned Trace and Rafa to their shop on Coruscant. It had seemed like her world might return to a state of normalcy, or as normal as things could be when one was a former Jedi Padawan living in the underworld during a cataclysmic war. But then Bo-Katan Kryze had arrived, claiming to have tracked her from Oba Diah and requesting her help in liberating Mandalore from Darth Maul, and Ahsoka knew it was her obligation to assist.

Not her obligation as a Jedi, for she wasn't one anymore. Rather, it was an obligation on a different level -- as someone gifted with the Force, she felt it was her duty to help those who couldn't help themselves. For a long time, she had thought it was the Jedi Code that guided this belief. But after walking away from that life, she found that it was something inside her that had led her to put herself in harm's way for others, something that had led her to a pair of sisters down on their luck, that had led her to a Mandalorian shuttle, surrounded by dangerous warriors she barely knew.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and felt the Force flowing around her, and then she pressed the access button and patched herself through to the _Fulcrum_ frequency.

* * *

The transmission had gone well enough. Ahsoka had rehearsed what she wanted to say, and when she finally saw Anakin through the holoprojector, she kept it professional, informing him only that she and Bo-Katan had found an opportunity to capture Maul. But when the shuttle rendezvoused with Anakin's Star Destroyer and she found herself face to face with her former master, she had suddenly felt a complex rush of emotions -- happiness, frustration, anger, and sadness -- that resulted in her dismissing his attempts at friendly conversation.

She could feel the hurt inside him when she rebuffed him, and it gnawed at her during the briefing, in which she and Bo-Katan explained that they had but a narrow window of opportunity to seize Maul before he disappeared again. Obi-Wan, as expected, had put up opposition, insisting that he receive authorization from the Council before plunging Republic troops into a conflict on a neutral world.

It was only when everyone had left the room and they were alone, and when Anakin quipped " _So, that went well, all things considered_ ," that she finally let her defenses down.

"You two certainly haven't changed."

Anakin smiled. "Is that a bad thing?"

Ahsoka didn't respond, and merely gave him a smirk. All those other emotions she had been feeling fell away and were replaced solely by a new one: serenity. _This was the right decision_ , she thought. _This is where I'm meant to be_.

"Come on," Anakin said, approaching the door. "I have a surprise for you."

He led her through the halls towards the hangar, and as they walked, clones saluted the both of them and gave their formal address. It made her uncomfortable, receiving a level of respect that should have been reserved for someone who didn't do what she had done, who hadn't abandoned the Jedi. But when Ahsoka voiced her reservations, Anakin brushed them aside.

"It doesn't matter to them. It's a sign of respect. They know what you went through for them, day after day. Battle after battle."

They paused outside the hangar door, and as it opened, Anakin turned to her. "Loyalty means _everything_ to the clones."

Before her stood rows upon rows of clone troopers, wearing the blue stripes of the 501st Legion, with Rex standing at the head of the formation. Upon each trooper's head was a helmet painted orange and white.

As Rex called the soldiers to attention and Ahsoka walked between their ranks, she tried desperately to keep her emotions in check. She didn't _deserve_ this, after walking away and leaving them to fight and die on battlefields without her, and yet they still remembered her and forgave her and welcomed her back with open arms.

"As soon as Rex and the guys knew you were back, they got to work," Anakin explained, pride in his voice.

"The paint job's a little crude, but we think it gets the idea across," Rex added. "Glad to have you back, commander."

"Rex, thank you. But you don't have to call me commander anymore."

"Sure thing. Commander."

Then Anakin told her that he had one more surprise, and he produced a small wooden box. Ahsoka could feel the Force calling to her from the crystals inside, and she knew what it was before he opened it.

She put her hand on the box, and the hangar filled with the shriek of alarm sirens.

Obi-Wan burst into the room as the hangar became a flurry of activity. "Anakin! Rex! Prepare all forces. We're jumping to hyperspace immediately!"

Anakin nodded. "So the attack on Mandalore was approved?"

"No, it's Coruscant. Grievous has attacked the capital."

Ahsoka was stunned. Coruscant was heavily defended, making it an effectively impenetrable target. How had Grievous gotten through, and why?

"What about the Chancellor?" Anakin asked. She could sense a strange fear in his voice.

"Shaak Ti has been sent to protect him, but Master Windu has lost contact with her. Not to worry -- our fleet can be there within the hour."

"So that's it?" Ahsoka spoke without thinking. "You're going to abandon Bo-Katan and her people?"

"Ahsoka, surely you understand. This is a pivotal moment in the Clone Wars!" Obi-Wan's voice made her feel scolded, like a child. "The heart of the Republic is under attack!"

"I _understand_ that as usual, you're playing politics," Ahsoka snapped. "This is why the people have lost faith in the Jedi. I had too, until--"

She froze, her mouth still agape. A strange sensation had washed over her, as if she was being watched by someone who didn't want to be seen. Reaching out into the Force, she spun around and stared directly at it, at the source of the mysterious feeling.

Perched on one of the cannons of a nearby gunship was a convor. The small bird had a white belly and distinctive green plumage. It was staring straight through Ahsoka with piercing emerald eyes that seemed strangely familiar. She had never seen anything like it before.

She continued making eye contact with the convor for what seemed like an eternity until Anakin's voice brought her back to reality. "Ahsoka? Hello?"

Ahsoka had to almost physically pull herself away from staring at the unusual bird. The effect it had on her was strange, as if it wanted her to know something, or do something. She could feel the flow of time around her, and the flow of the Force around her, and for a moment she closed her eyes and allowed its power to immerse her and guide her next decision.

Sometimes, the course of life is changed with one decision.

She opened her eyes. "Yes. I understand. Coruscant comes first."

"Are you okay, Ahsoka?" Anakin reached for her with concern. "We lost you for a minute there."

"Yes, Anakin. I apologize. I was out of line. But I'm still concerned about Mandalore, and what happens if we allow Maul to get away again."

"We may not need the entire 501st," Anakin suggested. "We could split it, send Rex and a company to Mandalore to accompany Bo-Katan."

"I suppose losing a few hundred clones to Mandalore won't make much of a difference on Coruscant," Obi-Wan said, stroking his beard.

"Then it's decided," Anakin declared. "Rex, take a detachment to Mandalore. Find Maul, capture him if you can, but kill him if you have to. As soon as we're finished on Coruscant, we'll return to help you."

Rex acknowledged the order and began dividing the troops, while Obi-Wan returned to the bridge to oversee the hyperspace jump. Only Anakin and Ahsoka were left in the hangar. When the chaos had died down and the stars outside turned to blue streaks of light, Anakin turned to her and handed her the wooden box. As she had suspected, inside were two silver cylinders.

"They're good as new," Anakin said as she ignited the blades. To her surprise, they were now blue instead of green. He gave her a smile. "Maybe a little better."

As Ahsoka twirled the blades, feeling their perfectly balanced weight in her hands, she glanced back at the gunship where the convor had been sitting. It was nowhere to be seen.

Anakin put his hand on her shoulder. "With any luck, this war will be over soon. Now, let's go teach General Grievous a lesson he won't forget, shall we? Just like old times."

Ahsoka felt unease come over her. "Yeah. Just like old times."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Clone Wars finale got me ~feeling things~ and whoops, here we are doing an alt-universe fic about what might have happened if Ahsoka went with Anakin and everything was different.
> 
> This story will continue through the events of Episode III and beyond, with the butterfly effect growing in each chapter.
> 
> There might be some Ahsoka romance stuff in later chapters. What, and with whom, is not fully decided yet. I will update the tags accordingly.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	2. The Battle of Coruscant

Ahsoka's Jedi starfighter dropped out of hyperspace, and she was immediately greeted by a maelstrom of light and color.

Coruscant, a bright orange jewel in the darkness of space, was now surrounded by explosions and turbolaser fire. Dozens of Republic cruisers and frigates had formed a blockade around the planet, firing back and forth with their Confederate counterparts. Countless starfighters, thousands of tiny specks, soared in the spaces between the capital ships. General Grievous' massive flagship, the _Invisible Hand_ , was surrounded by multiple Republic Star Destroyers, preventing it from escaping the battle with its precious cargo.

As they'd jumped to lightspeed, the Jedi had been informed that their worst fear was true: Grievous' attack was merely a distraction to allow him to infiltrate the Senate and abduct Chancellor Palpatine, killing several Jedi in the process. The good news was that Palpatine was believed to be alive, held as a bartering chip for a Confederacy that was losing the war on most battlefronts. The strategy now was to fly through the perilous battle, board Grievous' ship, and locate and rescue Palpatine before making their escape.

Ahsoka wasn't much of a pilot, so she flew her fighter alongside Anakin's, matching his movements. He had instructed her to remain close and follow his lead. Despite the fact that she was no longer his Padawan, she had slipped back into her old role with ease. She trusted his judgment and his wisdom. Ahsoka knew that no matter what occurred during this battle, he would keep her safe, as he always had.

"This is where the fun begins!"

Oh, and he'd make sure to have fun while doing it. His comment made her laugh. The three Jedi starfighters were flanked by a squad of clone pilots in ARC-170 fighters, and they flew straight into a storm of droid starfighters. In the chaos of battle, Ahsoka could hear clones shouting into their comms, screaming as they were blown to pieces in explosion after explosion.

"I'm going to go help them out," Anakin said, and he began to turn his fighter.

"No! No," Obi-Wan responded. "They are doing their job, now we can do ours."

She felt bad; Anakin's compassion for the clones had always been something she admired and respected. He had never viewed them as disposable, but as living, breathing people. It was the mark of a true Jedi, in her view, to see all life as valuable. But Obi-Wan was right, they had a job to do, and the clones were doing it well as always. They successfully held off enough of the droid fighters to allow the Jedi to get close to the _Invisible Hand_ , with only a minor issue where Obi-Wan's fighter was nearly disabled by buzz droids and Anakin almost blew him up. Anakin destroyed the shields guarding the _Invisible Hand_ 's hangar, and the three fighters narrowly flew into it as the blast shields closed behind them.

After cutting through a few battle droids in the hangar, Anakin instructed Artoo to locate Palpatine.

"So... the Pykes?"

It took Ahsoka a moment to realize he was talking to her. "I met some new friends in the lower levels of Coruscant, and they were in trouble with the Pykes. It's all good now."

Anakin's eyes narrowed. "What kind of trouble? Why were you on Oba Diah? How do you know these friends? If you need me to--"

"Anakin. It's _all good now_."

He appeared unconvinced. Ahsoka knew he was only looking out for her, but his insistence on treating her like a child could get grating.

Obi-Wan interrupted, pointing to a holographic projection of the ship Artoo had produced. "The Chancellor's signal is coming from right there. The observation platform at the top of that spire."

"I sense Count Dooku," Anakin warned.

"I sense a trap," Obi-Wan responded.

"Next move?"

"Spring the trap."

* * *

The three encountered only minimal resistance on their way through the halls of the _Invisible Hand_ , with their greatest challenge being a problem with one of the turbolifts. As they worked their way to the observation deck, Ahsoka began feeling better about her decision to accompany Anakin and Obi-Wan on the mission. Fighting alongside them again felt right, like her former master and his master before him were extensions of herself that she had lost. Leaving the Jedi had been the right choice at the time, but that didn't mean she couldn't continue to work alongside them to put an end to the war and save trillions of lives. They were her friends, the closest thing she had to a family, and with the distance of the last six months behind her, she was ready to repair those relationships.

As they entered the observation deck, Ahsoka saw the Chancellor seated in a chair at the back of the room, handcuffed, flanked by huge windows that gave a view of the battle outside. The trio approached him and gave a bow of respect, but Palpatine seemed unnerved, and he looked at something behind them and spoke.

"Count Dooku."

The Confederate leader entered through the door on the balcony above, guarded by a pair of super battle droids.

"This time, we will do it together," Obi-Wan told Anakin.

"I was about to say that. We're three against one," Anakin noted.

Palpatine was unconvinced. "Get help, you're no match for him. He's a Sith Lord."

Obi-Wan grinned. "Chancellor Palpatine, Sith Lords are our specialty."

Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka fanned out in a triangular formation as Dooku lept off the balcony and approached. "Your swords, please," he said in his usual dull, conversational tone. "We don't want to make a mess of things in front of the Chancellor."

"In case you can't tell, you're outnumbered, Dooku," Ahsoka sneered. "Surrender, and we'll ensure you are treated fairly."

Dooku gave her a sinister smirk. "Ahsoka Tano. Tell me, were you treated fairly when the Jedi Council abandoned you to the mercy of a Republic tribunal?"

Anakin ignited his lightsaber. "Choose your next words _carefully_ , Count."

With a swift motion, Dooku activated his blade and swung it straight for Anakin's head. Obi-Wan's lightsaber caught it, and the duel began. The three of them fighting Dooku was more difficult than Ahsoka had anticipated -- five blades twirling and spinning, three of the combatants trying not to accidentally hit each other, while Dooku had no such compunctions. He was free to swing at each of them with the skill of a Master with decades of experience, and somehow he held his own, blocking and parrying the multiple strokes coming at him every second.

As the fight moved around the room, up the stairs and along a balcony, Ahsoka felt herself growing tired, wondering how this older man was somehow able to hold off three opponents with such skill. She could feel him channeling the sheer power of the dark side, and it made her fearful. She had never encountered such strength in an enemy before.

Suddenly, Dooku called on the Force and threw Obi-Wan across the room, sending him crashing into a staircase. Before Anakin or Ahsoka could react, Dooku crushed the staircase, collapsing it on top of Obi-Wan's unmoving body. Ahsoka reached out and felt his life force, weakened but alive. She and Anakin resumed the offensive, forcing Dooku off the balcony and back to the lower areas of the observation deck. A lull in the battle emerged as he stepped away from them, holding his blade in a defensive position.

"I felt a great pride when I learned you had left the Jedi Order. I thought perhaps you had come to realize what I did -- that the Jedi are corrupt and unequipped to lead. It is not too late to make the right choice," he said, grinning malevolently at her. "Embrace the dark side and help us to rescue the galaxy from the Jedi."

Ahsoka laughed. "You're going to have to try harder than that, Dooku."

"Will I? Perhaps your _master_ can convince you." He turned to Anakin. "I sense great fear in you, Skywalker. You have hate, you have anger... but you don't use them."

Anakin didn't respond, and instead he and Ahsoka attacked together, moving in tandem, surrounding Dooku and wearing him down. But then, in an instant, Dooku swung his blade towards Ahsoka's neck, and she dodged and only a second too late did she realize it was a distraction. The thrust of the Force hit her in the chest like a ship heading to lightspeed and she was thrown back, flying through the air and colliding with something _hard_ \--

She didn't know how long she was unconscious, or even if she was out at all, because everything was dark and blurry and she was seeing stars, and could only just make out the form of Anakin swinging and slashing at Dooku nearby, and then suddenly Dooku's red blade was in Anakin's hand, both lightsabers crossed at the Sith Lord's throat.

"Good, Anakin, good!" Palpatine's voice echoed in her head as she tried to regain her footing. Then... "Kill him. _Kill him now._ "

Ahsoka steadied herself and said "No, Anakin," but the ringing in her head made it impossible to tell if she was whispering or shouting.

"I can't... we need to take him prisoner. We need to question him..."

Ahsoka was about to speak again when she felt her throat constricting, and her vision blurred again and the ringing grew louder and she could just barely feel her feet lifting off the ground as she clutched at her neck, and she tried to croak something at Anakin. He saw her, and she could feel the sudden rush of rage inside him, like a dark cloud had engulfed his entire person, and she heard him roar " _Let her go!_ "

As she slipped out of consciousness, she could hear Dooku stammering something -- " _No, no, it's not me_ " -- and then the hissing of hot plasma through flesh, and then she was back on the ground, gasping for breath. Anakin was at her side, pulling her to her feet.

"Are you okay, Ahsoka?"

She nodded, her voice too raspy to speak, and then she froze as she saw Dooku's headless body laying near Palpatine's chair.

She stared at it, uncomprehending, as Anakin freed Palpatine from his handcuffs and ran over to Obi-Wan, pulling him from beneath the staircase. Palpatine approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you all right, my dear?"

"I am," she said, her voice returning. Anakin lugged Obi-Wan over his shoulders, not making eye contact with anyone. Ahsoka ran to his side.

"Anakin, what did you do?"

"He was going to kill you," he said, his voice low.

"You made the right choice, Anakin," Palpatine said. "Even in defeat, Count Dooku was too dangerous to be kept alive. You saved not only my life, but Ahsoka's, and countless others across the galaxy who will no longer live in fear of his rule."

Anakin nodded wordlessly and made his way to the turbolift.

"We're going to need a ship big enough for the four of us," Ahsoka said, changing the subject. "One of the other decks should have something."

They rode the turbolift down in silence. Ahsoka took the time to close her eyes and meditate. She blocked out the sounds of explosions rocking the ship and focused only on the Force around her. Questions without answers swirled in her mind. Why would the Chancellor order Dooku's death? Why did Dooku try to kill her when he had already been defeated? Was Anakin right to execute him? He had saved her life, but she was still left confused. If they got out of this mess, she hoped to speak to Master Yoda and find some clarity.

Obi-Wan regained consciousness, and Ahsoka informed him that Dooku was dead, not elaborating beyond the fact that Anakin had killed him in their duel. Anakin himself remained silent, even as Obi-Wan congratulated him. Ahsoka could feel the conflict within him, like a knot twisting in his stomach. She hoped to get a chance to discuss it with him.

Unfortunately, discussion would have to wait, because as the turbolift doors opened and they stepped out onto deck C7, they found themselves face to face with the ominous form of General Grievous, flanked by dozens of battle droids.

"General Kenobi! The _negotiator_ ," Grievous snarled, before coughing violently. He turned his reptilian gaze towards Ahsoka. "And Ahsoka Tano! How kind of you to save me the trouble of hunting you down."

"We could say the same to you, Grievous," Obi-Wan laughed.

Grievous ignored him and instead looked at Anakin. "Anakin Skywalker? I was expecting someone with your reputation to be a little... _older_."

Anakin smiled, the first Ahsoka had seen since he killed Dooku. "General Grievous. You're shorter than I expected."

Grievous cackled, his laughter mixed with disgusting coughs. "When I saw three Jedi Knights on our security recordings, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to kill you -- _and_ the Chancellor."

"Sorry to disappoint, but we'll need to get going," Obi-Wan said.

The hangar shook violently, and a massive groan shrieked through the walls of the ship. "This thing is coming apart," Ahsoka yelled. "We need to get out of here!"

Grievous extended his spindly arms, and they split in half. Each of his four hands grabbed a lightsaber from within his cape. "You are not going _anywhere_ , Jedi scum!" Behind him, the deck was rocked by another explosion, sending flames and debris everywhere.

"Anakin, Ahsoka, deal with this nuisance," Obi-Wan instructed. "I will take the Chancellor and find us a ship."

Grievous began spinning his lightsabers like rotor blades. "I will finish this slime myself," he growled. "Kill Kenobi and bring the Chancellor to me." The droids began to pursue Obi-Wan and Palpatine, with the Jedi Master deflecting their shots back at them.

"They'll be fine," Anakin said, drawing his blade into a defensive posture as Grievous approached. "Concentrate on his right flank --"

"You know, Anakin, I've fought Grievous before."

"Of course. I'll follow your lead then, _master_." He smiled at her and then raised his hand to his comlink. "Artoo, get my fighter and get out of here. This place is coming apart. We'll meet you on the ground."

Then Grievous lunged, and the ship lurched from another explosion. Anakin and Ahsoka spun and danced around his blades, their movements in perfect synchronization. Although he was not sensitive to the Force, Grievous' mechanical augmentations made him faster and more reflexive than any organic being. With four blades whirling around his body, no part of him was left undefended for more than a fraction of a second.

The droid general struck two of his sabers against Ahsoka's, and they were locked into place. Thinking quickly, Ahsoka deactivated one of her weapons, swung it low, and reactivated it, slicing through Grievous' lower right wrist. He staggered backwards, roaring in an unintelligible language.

"Great work, Ahsoka!" Anakin went on the offensive, hacking away at Grievous' three remaining lightsabers while Ahsoka flanked him from behind, forcing him to defend from two directions at once. A loud _pop_ filled the air, and Grievous' upper left arm went flying. Anakin swung his blade towards Grievous' head, but suddenly all three combatants were thrown forward as the _Invisible Hand_ began a rapid descent, sucked into Coruscant's gravity, its engines failing.

Grievous took the moment of disorientation to plant one of his clawed feet into the metal floor, before swinging the other backwards. Ahsoka saw it coming but couldn't react, and she felt the hard, cold metal clamp around her face before she was thrown violently into the air.

As she staggered to her feet, trying to get her bearings, a series of blasts occurred across the room and the hangar floor began to implode. The entire deck was filled with smoke and flames. Nearby, she saw a droid gunship taking off into the air and hovering towards them -- Obi-Wan and the Chancellor.

About fifty feet away, Anakin was still locked in combat with Grievous. But he was tired, and she could sense his increasing anxiety and fear. Grievous slammed both blades down on Anakin's, and then thrust one of his feet forward, kicking Anakin through the air. His lightsaber rolled away into the smoke. Grievous began to laugh maniacally, stomping towards him, and as Anakin attempted to get up, Grievous pressed his sharp foot down on his chest and held a blade to his throat.

"Goodbye, General Skywalker. You will not be missed."

Ahsoka felt the Force surge through her, and knew she had one shot. She screamed "Anakin!" and hurled one of her blades through the air like a javelin into Grievous' back, causing him to coil back in pain.

Anakin seized the opportunity. He called his lightsaber to his hand and, in one swift motion, ignited it straight through Grievous' head.

The general slumped forward, and when Anakin deactivated the blade, he fell to the ground motionless. Ahsoka ran to Anakin's side and helped him up as the droid gunship landed nearby. A ramp extended, and Obi-Wan emerged.

"I really did miss all the fun, didn't I? Let's get out of here!"

Ahsoka helped Anakin up the ramp as the hangar exploded around them. As they boarded the gunship, she turned back one last time, and did a double take.

She could have sworn she saw a small green bird watching her from beyond the flames.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Padmé! Rex! And Ahsoka's return to Coruscant!


	3. The Coming Storm

When the droid gunship had landed at a docking station in the upper levels of Coruscant, a crowd of senators were waiting to meet them.

Anakin went to discuss the operation with the gathered politicians, Palpatine at his side, while Obi-Wan and Ahsoka hung back. Mace Windu came over to congratulate them, and to tell Obi-Wan that with Dooku and Grievous dead and the war likely to come to an end soon, the Senate should move to have Palpatine's emergency powers revoked. Ahsoka had never been particularly interested in politics, but she knew that the Council had long been frustrated with the Chancellor's growing executive power during the war.

Ahsoka realized that she had lost sight of Anakin in the crowd. Obi-Wan departed for the Jedi Temple, extending an invitation for her to join him that she politely declined, and she was left to wander the docking station alone until Anakin suddenly appeared at her side.

"You truly impressed me out there, Ahsoka. The Republic owes you for everything you've done."

"I was just doing my duty as a citizen."

"I assume you want to get an update on Mandalore? We can head to the Temple and contact Rex."

Ahsoka knew the real reason Anakin wanted her to come to the Temple. Even after all this time, she didn't feel like she could return there. It represented everything she had chosen to walk away from.

"Thank you, but I think I'll go visit my friends on the lower levels and contact him from there. I need to use a refresher pretty badly."

Anakin looked sad for just a moment, but then it passed, and he patted her arm. "Yeah. You definitely do. Get cleaned up and let me know what he says, okay?"

* * *

Rex didn't answer the frequency. Instead, the blue holographic form of Bo-Katan materialized in front of her.

"I'll get the bad news out of the way first: Maul escaped. _Again_."

Ahsoka was sitting in a private room in Trace and Rafa's shop, a cramped supply closet. She felt her heart sink into her stomach.

"I'm sorry, Bo-Katan. I wanted to be there, but..."

Bo-Katan cut her off. "But we have captured Sundari, and are purging the upper government of Maul's influence." Ahsoka didn't want to know what _purging_ meant in this context. "Your clones suffered only minimal casualties."

"That's good to hear. The Clone Wars are likely coming to an end soon, and hopefully I can petition the Council to deploy additional troops to hunt Maul."

"Frankly, this battle was... _too_ easy. Maul barely put up a token resistance before fleeing."

"Why would he go through the effort of conquering Mandalore, only to abandon it so quickly?"

Bo-Katan paced back and forth within the holoprojector. "The clones who encountered him reported that he was behaving erratically. He demanded to know why there were no Jedi with us, and then he made his escape."

"Maul is a known Jedi killer. And Master Kenobi has said that he is insane. Perhaps there is no real rhyme or reason to his actions."

"Perhaps. In any case, I need to return to my work." The Mandalorian paused for a moment. "Ahsoka? It should go without saying that Mandalore did _not_ consent to an occupation. We are not part of your Republic. I expect these troops gone as soon as we have dealt with Maul's men."

"Absolutely. I will speak to the Council about it at once."

Ahsoka turned off the holoprojector and stepped out of the supply closet. Trace was nearby, repairing the damage the _Silver Angel_ had suffered during the escape from Oba Diah. Things were still somewhat awkward between them after Trace had learned Ahsoka had been a Jedi, and they hadn't had much of a chance to talk when Ahsoka returned from the battle.

"How is it going?" Ahsoka asked. Trace removed her goggles and hopped down from the ship's hull.

"Thankfully, none of the damage was too bad. Another couple of days and she should be good to go again."

"Thank you again for letting me stay here. I promise I won't be in your hair long."

"Really? Where are you going to go?" Trace sounded a bit disappointed.

"I need to search for Darth Maul. He escaped Mandalore, and he's still out there somewhere."

"Oh. That makes me feel a bit better," she laughed. "I thought you meant you were going to stay with one of your Jedi friends."

"I don't... have any Jedi friends. Well, there's Anakin and Obi-Wan. But they're more like family to me."

"Really? You never got to just hang out with people your age? I can see why you left." Trace shrugged and went back to her work, leaving Ahsoka staring at the floor.

"I had one friend. But she took... a different path than me."

* * *

The Republic Center for Military Operations was an ominous facility in the heart of Coruscant's federal district. The heavily-guarded nerve center of the Grand Army of the Republic's operations on the capital world, it doubled as a prison for the highest-value targets.

Only one prisoner had ever escaped from the base. And now she was walking back inside a free woman.

Ahsoka had informed the base personnel that she was coming, and she was allowed entry on the condition that she leave her lightsabers at the guard post. Escorted by three shock troopers, Ahsoka took a turbolift deep into the heart of the facility, far underground. The cell she had once been held in while awaiting trial had been a normal holding pen for criminal suspects, but the vault Ahsoka was now entering had been designed for a different purpose. It was built from dense, heavily-reinforced alloys intended to prevent someone from using the Force to get in -- or out.

Constructed early in the war, _the Freezer_ , as it was known, had several separate cells designed for one purpose: holding prisoners powerful in the dark side of the Force. Once, Republic intelligence had hoped to hold Count Dooku here, but today the Freezer had only one occupant. She was suspended from the ceiling, sealed inside a series of interlocking magnetic clamps that restrained her arms and legs, with a titanium mask over the bottom part of her face, blocking her mouth. When she spoke, a vocoder inside the mask filtered her speech.

"Hello, Ahsoka. I was wondering when you'd come to visit me."

Ahsoka watched her through a reinforced glass observation window. Even after everything she had done, seeing her former friend in this state broke Ahsoka's heart.

"Hello, Barriss. I wanted to check on you and see how you were doing."

Barriss' eyes narrowed. "If you've come to lecture me, you can save it for someone else."

"I didn't come to lecture you. I came to see if you were being treated well."

"Oh, yes! I'm doing quite well, as you can see." The venom in her voice pierced through Ahsoka like a lightsaber. "Why don't you have my restraints loosened and I can show you?"

"Barriss... why are you blaming me for what you did? You _confessed_."

"I did confess, yes. But not because I wanted to spare you. It was because I was _scared_."

Ahsoka leaned in to the window. "Scared of who? You can tell me, Barriss. We are searching for the Sith, and we can stop them --"

"Scared of _him_. Your precious master."

A chill ran down her spine, and her voice cracked when she spoke. "Anakin? Why were you scared of him?"

Barriss started laughing. "You have no idea, do you? Or maybe you do. Maybe you've seen it too. When I gave in to the dark side, I used it only as a tool, to try and expose the hypocrisy of the Jedi and the Republic. I'm no Sith. But _Anakin_..."

Her voice suddenly quieted, almost to a whisper, amplified by the vocoder. "When he fought me, I could feel it inside him... a darkness unlike anything I've ever sensed before. There was so much anger... so much hatred... I knew then that whatever I was planning was moot. I wasn't going to be able to reform the Jedi Order...

She paused, and then -- "It would be Anakin Skywalker who would _destroy_ it."

Ahsoka felt cold rush through her veins. "No... no, he would _never_. You don't know him!"

Her comlink chirped, and she pressed the button. Anakin's voice echoed around the room. "Ahsoka, meet me at the Republic Medical Facility right away. Something has happened."

She could see Barriss' face contort into a smile behind the mask. "Was that him? You'd better go, Ahsoka. Time is running out."

Ahsoka turned and ran from the room without looking back.

* * *

"Is he going to survive?"

Ahsoka watched the clone floating in a bacta tank before her. A scar ran down his face, and his torso and arms were bruised. His right leg was completely severed at the waist. A team of droids injected serums and medications into his arm through the bacta tube.

"They think so. They got him in a medical capsule as soon as they found him, and transported him straight here." Anakin was standing at her side, his face grim.

"What happened to him?" Ahsoka asked, but she already suspected the answer.

"Rex took a team into the Sundari sewers to pursue Maul. He was the only survivor they found."

She felt anger boiling inside her as she watched her wounded friend.

Anakin continued. "They'll give him a cybernetic leg. Once he's trained with it, he should be able to fight again. But hopefully the war will be over before that happens."

Ahsoka's anger slowly dissipated, replaced instead with another emotion -- guilt.

"I should have been there. I could have caught Maul and Rex would be fine."

Anakin rubbed her shoulder. "You don't know that, Ahsoka. Maybe it would be you in that bacta tank. Or worse."

But Ahsoka found herself fixated on that moment in the Star Destroyer hangar, when she had almost argued in favor of going to Mandalore.

When that green convor caught her attention, and she decided otherwise.

Sometimes, the course of life is changed with one decision.

_Did I make the right one?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said Padmé would be in this chapter, but scenes got moved around. She's in the next chapter!
> 
> I am attempting to update with a new chapter each day. As the plot gets more complicated and the bantha poodoo starts to hit the fan, that schedule might change.
> 
> Thank you to everyone reading so far!


	4. Dreams and Darkness

Even after she had been reassured that Rex would recover, Ahsoka stayed at the Medical Center, watching over him, for hours after Anakin left, only returning to Trace and Rafa's shop in the early hours of the morning to take a short rest. Jedi were trained to function on minimal sleep, but that didn't mean it was easy or enjoyable.

In her sleep-deprived state, she found herself plunged into strange dreams. The green convor flying overhead. White circles in a black void. A green laser streaking through space, fired from a mechanical sphere.

Barriss' voice echoed through the dream: _"So much anger... so much hatred..."_

And then she was standing in a cavernous room, a pair of white lightsabers in her hands, dancing around a jet-black mountain of complete darkness.

_"I won't leave you! Not this time."_

_"Then you will die."_

The black mountain swung a red blade at her head and she jolted awake, drenched in sweat.

She jumped in the refresher, grabbed a piece of fruit, said goodbye to Trace and Rafa, and left for the upper levels. As she arrived at an apartment in the Senate district, she stopped outside Padmé's door to allow a long procession of senators to exit the room. After a quick greeting with Bail Organa, who expressed his happiness at seeing her again, she entered the ornate room, where Padmé was seated on one of two couches.

"Ahsoka!" She leapt to her feet with a smile, and that was when Ahsoka instantly noticed that she was pregnant.

"Hello, Padmé," Ahsoka said, trying to keep her composure as they hugged. "How have you been?"

"I've been just fine, but I've been worried sick about _you_. Please tell me you've been well?"

Ahsoka said that she had been, and Padmé asked her to stay for refreshments. As Ahsoka sat at the dining table, she remained fixated on Padmé's belly.

On some level, Ahsoka had always known the truth.

Sure, she had never really said anything. It wasn't her business to pry, and her respect for both Anakin and Padmé was too great to do anything that might jeopardize their happiness. Whenever Anakin was around Padmé, she could see his joy and feel his serenity in the Force. For someone who had lived such a difficult life, he deserved to find peace with someone who understood him.

She also knew that it was a violation of the Jedi Code, a serious breach of the beliefs all Jedi swore themselves to. Attachment, devoting oneself to another, was forbidden. Jedi were meant to devote themselves only to the Force, and to all beings within it; they could not allow themselves to selfishly place one being's life above all others.

But... Ahsoka was no longer a Jedi. She had walked away from the Order because she knew, deep inside, that they had lost their way. Perhaps the Jedi were mistaken to think that devoting yourself to someone would jeopardize your commitment to the Force?

"What have you been doing, Ahsoka? Tell me everything." Padmé sat across from her and handed her a cup of caf.

"Trying to find out who I am, mostly. The Jedi were my identity for my entire life." She paused and looked at her cup. "All I want to do is help others. But I constantly find myself forced to make choices that leave others in danger. I could have traveled to Mandalore and captured Maul, and instead I came here to save the Chancellor, and Rex was nearly killed."

"You can't be everywhere at once, Ahsoka. You help those that you can. Even saving one life is a gift to the galaxy."

"I suppose." Ahsoka looked out at the view of the Coruscant skyline from the balcony. "Your apartment is gorgeous, Padmé. I can see why you would have Senate meetings here, and not at your office."

Padmé shifted in her chair. "Actually, this was an off-the-books meeting."

"Oh?"

"Some senators and I have... grown concerned about the Chancellor. We feel that with the war at an imminent end, he may choose to keep his emergency powers. I'm part of a delegation that will ask him to step down from office when the war is over."

"That makes sense," Ahsoka said. This was now the second person in twenty-four hours she had heard express concern over Palpatine's emergency powers. "I think the Jedi are worried about the Chancellor's power too."

Padmé didn't make eye contact. "Not all of the Jedi."

"Anakin?"

Padmé sighed. "He means well, and I know he looks up to Palpatine. He was a mentor to Anakin, and I understand. He was a mentor to me too! But Anakin is a Jedi, not a politician. Jedi make a commitment for life, but in a democracy, we are expected to use our power only temporarily, before passing it on to others."

"I understand. I think you're doing the right thing." Ahsoka stood up. "I wish I could stay longer, Padmé."

Padmé hugged her again. "Let's do this again soon, all right?"

As Ahsoka turned to leave, she gave Padmé a smile. "I'm happy for you, Padmé."

Padmé glanced down at her belly and then back at Ahsoka, her cheeks flushed. "Oh... thank you."

Ahsoka felt bad leaving so soon. "How about I call tonight and we can talk some more? I've missed our chats."

"That would be great, actually. I was hoping to see --" She paused. "I was hoping to see a friend tonight, but he's engaged elsewhere."

Ahsoka laughed. "Then it's his loss."

* * *

"Difficult to interpret, dreams are. Showing us only what it wishes us to see, the Force is."

Ahsoka nodded, her eyes closed, deep in thought. She was sitting on the floor of Yoda's office, legs crossed, as the Jedi Master sat across from her. She was grateful that he had agreed to speak with her despite the fact that she was no longer a Jedi.

"I don't know if these are visions of something that has yet to come."

"See the future, we cannot. Always moving, flowing around us, time is." He tugged at her sleeve with his small hand. "Focus not on what is to come. Instead, focus on your own decisions, you must. Always clear, the path before you is not."

"Thank you for speaking to me, Master." They gave each other a bow, and as she exited the office, she found Anakin standing nearby, staring out the window, lost in thought. When she said hello, he didn't look at her, and instead continued to stare.

"I've been placed on the Jedi Council."

Ahsoka tried to contain her excitement. "Anakin, that's wonderful! You have done everything to deserve this. If you can teach others even half as well as you taught me, you will be one of the most esteemed Masters of all time."

But Anakin's face remained a slate of frustration. "They didn't make me a Master."

"What? I don't think anyone has ever --"

"They haven't. It's unheard of in the history of the Order." He turned and started walking down the hall, and Ahsoka kept his pace. She could feel that knot of anger inside him again, like the one she felt aboard the _Invisible Hand_.

"Anakin... what else is going on?"

He stopped and looked around. "The Council asked me to..." He lowered his voice. "They asked me to _spy_ on the Chancellor."

"Why would they do that?"

"Because they don't trust him. They consider him some sort of tyrant, even though he has done nothing but serve the Republic and its people during this war."

Ahsoka recalled what Padmé had told her. "It seems unfair that they would make assumptions about his motivations when the war isn't even over yet."

"They don't trust _anyone_ , Ahsoka. They consider themselves all-knowing, and they assume the worst on the part of everyone else." He turned to her. "Just like they did with you."

Ahsoka shook her head. "I don't hold it against the Jedi for what happened to me, Anakin."

But the look on his face was clear. _He does_.

Again, she heard Barriss' voice in the back of her mind, and she pushed it away.

"What brought you to Master Yoda?" Anakin asked, his voice softening.

"I've been having... dreams."

"What kind of dreams?"

"I can't even describe them. They're formless and meaningless. But they feel like a vision of the future."

Anakin was looking at her strangely. "Do they involve... death?"

"No. At least, I don't think so." The dark figure in her dream had tried to kill her, but perhaps it was better if she didn't mention that to Anakin.

She decided to change the subject to something more positive. "I was just with Padmé. She seems to be doing well."

But Anakin remained distracted in his thoughts and said nothing. Ahsoka decided to excuse herself, but as she walked away Anakin called back to her.

"I'm glad that you're here, Ahsoka. I know you think you should have gone to Mandalore." He paused, not looking at her face. "But I'm glad that you came back here. Sometimes I feel... lost. But I know that I can talk to you."

"You aren't my master anymore, Anakin. But you will always be my family."

* * *

Ahsoka spent the rest of the day obtaining food and supplies from the upper levels, hoping to try her hand at cooking a nice dinner for Trace and Rafa as thanks for letting her stay with them. Anakin told her that he had been requested by the Chancellor to attend a performance of _Squid Lake_ at the Galaxies Opera House that evening -- presumably the engagement Padmé had mentioned. Upon returning to the shop, she used the ingredients to make a traditional Mon Calamari dish that the sisters seemed to enjoy (Rafa scarfed her portion down in two minutes, then called it "Okay").

Afterwards, Ahsoka sat on the ledge overlooking a bottomless chasm. Hundreds of ships and speeders flew up and down the thousands of levels above and beneath her. Despite the loud noise and constant movement, she found it somewhat serene, and began to concentrate on her thoughts.

So much had happened in just the last two days. Mandalore liberated. Dooku dead, at Anakin's hands, after he had surrendered. Grievous destroyed and the Separatist leadership on the run. Palpatine abducted and rescued, and now both the Jedi and Senate were moving against him. And at the center of it all was Anakin Skywalker, her master, teacher, friend, and brother, the kindest and most honorable man she had ever met.

 _"I wasn't going to be able to reform the Jedi Order... It would be Anakin Skywalker who would_ destroy _it."_

Trace came out and sat next to her. "Long day?"

"Every day is a long day lately."

"You said the war might be over soon, right? What's next for an ex-Jedi when there's no war to fight?"

"I wish I knew. I've been fighting this war ever since I became Anakin's padawan." She looked up at the darkening sky above. "I might not be a Jedi anymore, but I'd like to keep studying. There is an infinite amount of knowledge out there that I haven't learned. I want to know more about the Jedi, and their history. I want to be the best embodiment of the Force that I can be, whether that means being a Jedi or something else."

"Wow," Trace laughed. "You're really passionate about this stuff. But it's like Rafa said... we wish the rest of the Jedi were like you."

"The Jedi are... good," Ahsoka said, still staring up at the inky black void. The light pollution blocked all the stars from the sky. "Maybe they've lost their way. But they are good people, and they seek peace and understanding."

"Whatever path you take, I think it'll be the right one." Trace gave her a smile, and Ahsoka returned it, before excusing herself to contact Padmé for their scheduled call.

Strangely, the senator didn't answer. She tried the frequency again a few minutes later, and still got no response. Padmé had said Anakin would be gone for the evening, and that she'd be alone. Perhaps she'd been held up somewhere? Maybe Anakin hadn't gone to the opera after all?

But the more she dwelled on it, the more Ahsoka felt fear in her heart. She could feel it, in the Force:

 _Something isn't right_.

Ahsoka ran to her speeder bike and flew as fast as she could to Padmé's apartment building in the upper levels. As she ran down the hall and turned the corner, her entire body went cold.

The door to Padmé's apartment was completely gone, blown off its hinges and laying in the center of the living area. One of the couches was overturned, and lying facedown nearby was one of Padmé's personal guards, and Ahsoka could feel in the Force that he was dead.

As she approached the center dining table, she saw a golden holoprojector that hadn't been there earlier. Cautiously, she pressed the button, and a pre-recorded blue hologram appeared before her. It was an ominous-looking figure, with malevolent facial tattoos and a head crowned by spikes. When he spoke, his voice was filled with malice.

_"Hello, Anakin Skywalker. My name is Maul. If you are looking for your precious wife, know that she is in safe hands. If you wish to see her again, meet me at these coordinates. I think it is time you and I had a chat about the future of the Jedi Order."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger!
> 
> I may start to take a bit longer to update. I want to plan out the story and put more effort into each chapter.
> 
> Right now, the scale of this fic is planned to go out well beyond Episode III.
> 
> Also, I've changed the tags and switched this from the Gen category to the F/M and F/F categories as I've decided on the scope of the ships for the story.


	5. The Phantom Apprentice

The glittering skyscrapers of the Coruscant skyline at night were something Ahsoka had always enjoyed watching from her small room at the Jedi Temple growing up. She liked to wonder if there were other kids like her in those glowing windows. It wasn't until she was older that she came to understand her upbringing was unique, that those other kids got to have friends, jobs, social lives, dates and weddings and children.

Attachments. Connections to the material world that the Jedi taught were a path to the dark side.

And now those glittering skyscrapers were soaring past her as she flew Padmé's speeder to the rendezvous point, her heart and her mind racing faster than the ship itself. She had repeatedly tried to contact Anakin but received no response; likely because the Galaxies Opera House asked patrons to silence their communication devices. Instead, she was now frantically calling Obi-Wan, and his holographic form appeared on the dashboard.

"Obi-Wan! Maul is here on Coruscant, he's abducted Padmé. You need to meet me at these coordinates." The words spilled out of her mouth and she wasn't sure if Obi-Wan even understood, but after a moment he nodded, his voice remaining calm.

"At least he's done our work for us in tracking him down. I'll gather a battalion and meet you there." There was a silence for a moment, and then he asked the question. "Does Anakin know?"

"He's at the opera with the Chancellor."

"I will make sure he's notified." Obi-Wan's voice calmed her, just a bit. "You have done the right thing, Ahsoka. Keep Maul occupied and keep Padmé safe. I'll be there shortly."

As she followed the coordinates in the navicomputer, she found herself beyond the skyscrapers, speeding over the abandoned warehouses and factories of the Works district. One factory in particular stood out, its metal siding eroded by decades or centuries of wear: the LiMerge Power Building.

Ahsoka landed the speeder on a small landing platform and was immediately overwhelmed by the sensation of darkness.

"You're not Anakin Skywalker."

He stepped out of the shadows, and with every step Ahsoka could just barely hear the whirring of mechanical gears in his cybernetic legs.

"Where is she?" As Ahsoka spoke, she heard a muffled voice shouting in the shadows behind him, and Maul raised his arm and Padmé floated out from the darkness, her arms bound and a cloth gag in her mouth.

"Unfortunately, as you're not Skywalker, I can't ensure the good senator's safety. Please give him my apologies." Maul lowered Padmé on the ground, forcing her into a kneeling position, and reached for the long silver hilt at his waist.

Ahsoka stepped forward. "Wait! Anakin is out of contact. He doesn't even know that you're here. But he will soon. If you have something to say to him, you can say it to me."

Maul studied her with his yellow eyes. They were bloodshot and crazed, and she could see endless rage in them. "And who are you, exactly?"

"Ahsoka Tano. I am Anakin's former padawan."

" _Former_ padawan?" The corner of his mouth curled into a smile.

Ahsoka ignored the remark. "Let Senator Amidala go. Anakin is on his way; there's no need to keep her here."

Maul narrowed his eyes, and he clutched the lightsaber hilt, and for a moment Ahsoka feared the worst, but instead he relaxed his grip and reached for the gag, pulling it from Padmé's mouth. He stepped back, and Padmé struggled to her feet, her arms still bound. Ahsoka pulled her forward with the Force and ripped the bindings away.

"Why are you doing this?" Padmé growled, rubbing her mouth with her hand. "Who are you?"

Maul cackled, a dark sound that echoed off the walls of the abandoned building. "Senator, I'm saddened that you don't remember me!"

"I've met a lot of scum over the years. You must not have made an impression."

Ahsoka lowered her voice. "Padmé, take the speeder and get out of here. Go to the Jedi Temple and stay there. Anakin and Obi-Wan are coming."

Padmé started to say something, but Maul's booming voice cut her off. " _Kenobi_ is coming? Oh, excellent! I was so worried that my meticulous planning had been disrupted, and yet destiny lures him to me all the same."

"I'm not leaving you with him," Padmé whispered, but Ahsoka shook her head.

"Think of the baby, Padmé. Get to the Temple. I'll be fine."

Padmé looked back and forth between her and Maul again, and then finally walked over to the speeder, slowly, as if she was hoping Ahsoka would change her mind. But she didn't, and the senator fired up the engines and flew away into the skyline.

"You just lost your bargaining chip," Ahsoka laughed, trying to project an air of toughness. "Maybe Anakin's not coming? Maybe I lied."

"Oh, I can sense the truth in you, padawan," Maul sneered. "But I tracked Skywalker down once, and I can do it again. He did a very poor job of hiding his... _relationship_... from me. I shouldn't be surprised his fellow Jedi are so blind."

"What do you want with Anakin?"

"Why, to kill him, of course." For some reason his voice was not sadistic, and instead sounded pensive.

Ahsoka reached for her blades. "You'll never get the chance."

"Oh, I've _had_ the chance before. On Tatooine, all those years ago." He looked to the side and continued to speak as if she was no longer there, like he'd slipped into a memory. "He was just a boy. I could have ended it all there, the grand plan, if I had known what he would become."

"What are you talking about?" She yelled, snapping him back to attention. "What plan?"

" _The_ plan. My master's ultimate design. And everything, all of it, revolves around him." He started pacing around the room, and Ahsoka watched him carefully. "I can stop him. With Skywalker's death, Darth Sidious can be destroyed. This is my destiny."

"Darth Sidious? I don't understand... Anakin wants to destroy the Sith. Why would you kill him if you share his goal?"

Maul gave her a cruel smile. "Oh, you don't know, do you? Skywalker has long been groomed for his role as my master's new apprentice."

Her blood ran cold. "That's... impossible." She heard Barriss echoing in her thoughts again, and Ahsoka pushed her away.

"I have foreseen it. But if Skywalker perishes, if he cannot be made to turn to the dark side... There is no hope for your Republic, or your Jedi. But there is hope yet for the galaxy. And it begins with his death."

Ahsoka had heard enough. She grabbed her blades and ignited them. "I _know_ Anakin. Your vision is flawed."

Maul shook his head. "Then you shall die alongside him, _padawan_."

In a single swift motion, he ignited twin red blades from either end of his lightsaber and twirled towards her. The speed and ferocity caught her off guard, and she was instantly on the defensive. She backed across the floor of the building, blocking the rapid series of strikes he was delivering with both ends of the weapon, looking for something to give her the advantage. She ducked under one of Maul's swings and summoned the Force to shove him backwards, then lunged at him in an effort to break his stance.

"You were taught well, apprentice of Skywalker. But not well enough."

Then he regained his composure almost immediately, and suddenly Ahsoka was backed up against a wall, her lightsabers cracking and hissing as they locked against Maul's; he was stronger than her and his blade was slowly pushing towards her face, the heat of its red energy nearly searing her skin as it got closer and closer and then --

She swung her foot into his side, doubling him over, and then leapt into a kick aimed square at his face. He staggered away, and Ahsoka started hammering at him. She could feel her own concentration slipping; his aggression was unlike anything she had fought before, and this time there was no Anakin to help her. The dark side was flowing through Maul, guiding his strokes and fueling his strength, and if she just made _one_ mistake --

The mistake came sooner than she had thought. She let her guard down for only an instant as Maul had reeled from a blow, desperately trying to catch her breath, and then he had thrown his hand forward and she was hurled backwards, landing on her back, and her hands were empty, the silver hilts rolling away down the floor.

As she scrambled backwards, trying to get to her feet, he was above her, swinging the blade towards her throat, and she knew she wouldn't be fast enough.

"I am sorry about this, child. I will be sure to give Senator Amidala your regards." Maul raised the blade high above him, and prepared to swing --

"Actually, you can give them to me now."

He didn't react quickly enough, and his entire body flashed with blue light before he crumpled to the ground. Padmé was standing behind him, and she holstered her blaster. She reached down and helped Ahsoka to her feet.

"I flew in a loop around the building. I hoped he'd think I was gone."

Ahsoka called her lightsabers back to her, gasping for breath, and Padmé helped steady her. "Thank you, Padmé. What would I do without you?"

They ensured Maul was unconscious, and within a few minutes three Republic gunships arrived at the building. Obi-Wan stepped out, flanked by a squad of clone troops, and they restrained the former Sith Lord. Obi-Wan explained that Maul would be sent to the Freezer until Republic intelligence operatives could interrogate him about the identity and whereabouts of Darth Sidious, or any other information he might have.

As Padmé boarded her speeder to be escorted back to her apartment, Obi-Wan contacted Anakin, who was apparently on his way there from the opera house, and informed him that Padmé was safe.

"That's... wonderful. Great work, Master. You too, Ahsoka." She could see, even in his tiny holographic form, that he was struggling to keep his composure. She wondered what Obi-Wan knew.

When Ahsoka returned to Trace and Rafa's shop, she left a message for Bo-Katan to inform her that Maul had been captured, and then crashed as soon as she hit her pillow.

* * *

She had the dream again.

The green convor flew over her head, and she was in that red room again, with electrical energy arcing all around her, as the black mountain approached her with a crimson blade.

_"Ahsoka... why did you leave?"_

He had Anakin's voice.

She shot up in bed, drenched in sweat again, to see that her comlink was chirping.

It was a message from Anakin, asking her to come to the Jedi Temple as soon as she could. She threw on a change of clothes and flew to the Temple, where Anakin was waiting for her in the lobby. He gave her a big smile, which he quickly tried to suppress, and he spoke quietly as she approached him.

"Ahsoka... thank you. Thank you for..." His voice trailed off, and she shook her head.

"You don't need to thank me. Padmé's my family as much as you are." Ahsoka paused for just a moment. "Padmé and... the little one."

Anakin froze, and neither of them said anything, but finally he let out a long breath. "Ahsoka..."

"Nothing needs to be said. At least, not here." She rubbed his arm, and the anxious look on his face was replaced with a smile again. "We have a Council meeting to get to, right?"

Anakin had apparently forgotten why he'd called her there in the first place. He had arranged for her to present a report on Maul's capture to the Council. The chamber was half-empty, as several Jedi Masters were on critical battlefronts across the galaxy, including Master Yoda. He had been dispatched to Kashyyyk yesterday, just hours after Ahsoka spoke to him. Those masters who were absent were represented by their holographic forms.

"Thank you for your report, Ahsoka," Mace Windu said, his fingers steepled. "Maul may claim to no longer be a Sith Lord, but he is clearly privy to their plans. If we are to identify Darth Sidious, he must be interrogated at any cost."

"I can't believe I'm saying this," Obi-Wan began, "But Maul _is_ a prisoner. We should ensure we are following the proper protocols when we question him. Identifying a Sith Lord may not be worth losing our morality."

"The fate of the Republic and the Jedi Order may depend on it," Windu countered. "But we shall take all options under consideration and hope we don't need to use them." He turned to Anakin. "I believe you had something to report as well?"

Anakin nodded. "Chancellor Palpatine informed me last night that clone intelligence has identified the final Separatist leadership holdout is on Utapau."

"Utapau?" Ki-Adi-Mundi asked.

"A partial message was intercepted in a diplomatic packet from the Chairman of Utapau," Anakin explained.

"Act on this, we must," Yoda said. "The capture of Viceroy Gunray and other Separatist leaders will end this war. Quickly and decisively, we should proceed."

Anakin shifted in his seat. "The Chancellor has requested that I lead the campaign."

Windu looked at him with a strange expression. "The Council will make up its own mind who is to go. Not the Chancellor."

Ahsoka watched Anakin's face as Yoda explained that a Master should be sent to apprehend the Separatists. He kept a straight face, but she could sense the frustration in him. Kit Fisto volunteered for the operation, and the Council was adjourned.

Anakin stormed out of the Council chamber and Ahsoka ran after him. She knew trying to talk to him here, in front of the other Jedi, was pointless, so she followed him to the hangar, where he was climbing into a speeder.

"Anakin, wait!"

He didn't answer or look at her, and instead stared at his dashboard. "I need some fresh air. I'll be back in a few minutes." Before she could respond, he pulled out of the hangar and flew off, leaving her behind.

For the next two hours, she wandered the halls of the Temple, wary of how many eyes were watching her. Despite being cleared of any wrongdoing, some still viewed her with suspicion, especially since she was no longer a Jedi. Eventually, she decided to fly to Dex's Diner to get something to eat, her comlink on the table at all times so she could answer immediately if Anakin called. But it remained silent.

The hours passed. Ahsoka found herself dwelling constantly on what Barriss had said, what Maul had said. She had sensed the anger within him, the frustration, the anxiety, but it was all from an understandable source. He was a legendary warrior, a trusted hero, and soon, a father. She could see why the pressure was eating him alive inside.

But the _dark side_? Anakin would never. He _could_ never. Why would he fall to the Sith? It was impossible.

_What piece am I missing?_

It had been nearly eight hours when Anakin finally contacted her and asked to meet him on the roof of Padmé's apartment building.

* * *

"We haven't decided on a name."

Anakin was staring out at the skyline when Ahsoka landed on the roof.

"What?"

"We haven't decided on a name for the baby. Padmé has ideas, but... she hasn't told me."

Ahsoka walked to his side. "Anakin, what is wrong? I can sense it within you. Ever since we came back to Coruscant, something has been different about you."

He still refused to make eye contact with her. "Something is... happening to me. The teachings of the Jedi... they aren't enough for me. I need more."

Ahsoka slowly gripped one of his hands with both of her own. "Anakin... you don't _need_ the Jedi. You told me once that you knew what it was like to want to leave, and now I understand."

Anakin pulled his hand from her's, still looking away, and she continued. "The war is about to be over, and you can walk away, like I did. You don't need to hide your love for Padmé! You can be a father to your child! You and I can explore the Force and learn --"

"She's going to die." His voice was dulled, a monotone.

"What? Who's going to die?"

"She dies, giving birth to our child," he said, and it was like he couldn't actually say her name. "I've seen it in my dreams."

Ahsoka paused to try and process this information. "Anakin, that doesn't..."

"Doesn't what? Doesn't mean it will come true?" His voice was starting to raise now. "I saw my mother too, in my dreams, and then she died in my arms. I won't lose Padmé too. I _can't_ lose her too."

"We can help her, Anakin, we can --"

"No, you can't help her. The Jedi are powerless, and weak." Anakin was pacing back and forth now, and his face was almost devoid of color. "But... there is a way. An ancient teaching."

"A Jedi teaching?" Ahsoka was confused. "Anakin, the Jedi teach us to accept death --"

"No, not a Jedi teaching." He finally turned and looked at her, and she understood. Her voice came out as a whisper.

"The dark side?"

Anakin didn't answer. Ahsoka tried to form her words carefully.

"Anakin... the dark side can't stop death any more than the Jedi can."

He appeared to be mulling this over. Ahsoka reached out her hand to him again. Anakin looked at it but didn't take it.

"Do you trust me, Ahsoka?"

"With my life."

But before Anakin could respond, his comlink beeped, and Mace Windu's voice filtered through. "Skywalker. Are you alone?"

Anakin looked at Ahsoka. "Yes. I'm alone."

"Master Fisto has confirmed contact with the Separatist leadership on Utapau. They put up minimal resistance before surrendering. Inform the Chancellor of this development; his reaction may give us a clue to his intentions."

Ahsoka felt a rush of excitement. "They surrendered? So the war is over?"

Anakin glanced at her, and then at the ground in front of him. "Stay here. I'll only be a few minutes." As he started to walk to his speeder, he turned back to her, and said:

"Thank you, Ahsoka. For believing in me."

"Always, Master."

She watched him fly away and turned to look at the setting sun on the glowing skyscrapers. Maybe in another life, she had been one of those kids in those windows, watching the skyline with her loving family. The attachments, the love, that she never had. But it wasn't this life.

In this life, she had Anakin Skywalker.

And that was when she heard the booming voice behind her say " _Ahsoka Tano_ ," and she turned to see the glowing golden woman before her, long green hair flowing in some ethereal wind Ahsoka couldn't feel.

_"Come with me, Ahsoka Tano. The consequences of your decisions are upon us._ _"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up being longer than I anticipated, but it's because we've reached The Big Moment here in the coming chapters, so it was important to get all my ducks in a row.
> 
> From here on out, there will probably be at least a few days between chapters. Being stuck in quarantine gives me a lot more time to write, but I also need more time to plan things out, edit, proofread, etc.
> 
> Thank you again for the support!


	6. The Crucible

Ahsoka had met her once before, in a dream.

Had it been a dream?

The Father and the Son and the Daughter… Mortis… death and sacrifice and rebirth. None of it had actually been real, just some strange shared hallucination between herself and Anakin and Obi-Wan.

And yet here before her was --

_"Ahsoka Tano. I am Daughter. We have met before, but there is little time to explain."_

"You saved me." Ahsoka wasn't sure where those words even came from, because that hadn't actually _happened_ , and yet…

_"I saved you because I knew of your role in the arc of the galaxy's history. I have watched over you, and guided you, and protected you."_ She floated towards Ahsoka like a glowing white spirit. _"But you have chosen to alter the path that was put before you, and now I fear the consequences."_

"I didn't choose to alter anything. What are you talking about?" She started to raise her voice. "Who _are_ you?"

_"As I said, there is little time to explain --"_

"Then come back another time. I'm trying to help someone I care about --"

_"The destiny of Anakin Skywalker is now in your hands. Allow me to show you."_

Ahsoka was about to say something, and then suddenly the world around her disappeared.

In its place was a black, endless void, as if she was standing in space itself. The abyss spread in every direction, and the darkness was interrupted only by white geometric shapes -- lines, circles, and squares, perfectly drawn as if by organic hands, and yet she knew this was no man-made place.

_The Force is strong here._ It was almost overwhelming. She had never felt this attuned to its energy before. It felt as if she could simply reach out and touch any living thing at any point in time. It was the living Force itself that was flowing through this place.

The Daughter appeared at her side, and when Ahsoka spoke, her own voice echoed in her head.

"What is this place? Where are we?"

_"It is a realm outside of time, through which the Force guides life itself."_ Ahsoka heard the flap of wings, and then the green convor appeared on the Daughter's shoulder.

"That bird! I've seen it before --"

_"Focus. In this world we are freed from time, but I can only keep us here for so long."_ She waved her hand, and before them a large white circle appeared. _"We are at the crucible, Ahsoka. The crucible of the galaxy's destiny, the arc of its entire history, bends here. Your decisions have guided it to this point."_

"No pressure," Ahsoka mumbled. "But what decisions? I still don't understand."

_"By accompanying Anakin Skywalker to Coruscant, by abandoning your siege of Mandalore, you have changed the weave of fate. But there is still time for the course of destiny to resolve itself."_

Ahsoka stared into the black void beyond the white circle. It was almost hypnotic, like it was calling to her. In a trance, she approached its dark form, and leaned in to peer into its nonexistent world beyond, and then --

_"You were the Chosen One! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them!"_

It was Obi-Wan, standing in a field of fire, tears on his cheeks.

Ahsoka reached for him, but his image changed, replaced with the dark mountain from her dreams. But now she could see him clearly, and he took the form of a mechanical monster with a flowing cape, and when he spoke, she heard her own voice in reply.

_"Anakin Skywalker was weak. I destroyed him."_

_"Then I will avenge his death."_

_"Revenge is not the Jedi way."_

_"I'm no Jedi."_

Then he was gone, and things were moving faster now, confusing images and scenes and voices she didn't understand --

_"I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father."_

_"No._ I _am your father."_

_"Tell your sister… you were right."_

_"Show me… grandfather… and I will finish what you started."_

_"You come from nothing. You're nothing. But not to me."_

Then, finally, was a girl she didn't recognize, standing in the desert with a yellow blade in her hand, looking towards the horizon, and Ahsoka staggered away from the vision.

"I don't… I don't…"

But she did. She _did_ understand. Somehow, she understood, and suddenly she was overcome with emotions that had been bottled up inside for so many years, and she collapsed to her knees and could say only:

_"Anakin."_

The Daughter came to her side. _"Yes. He will fall, Ahsoka Tano. It is his destiny. The galaxy will suffer under darkness for years, and countless lives will be lost. But…"_

"…But he will bring balance to the Force? There will be peace?"

_"In time. Yes."_ She slowly pulled Ahsoka to her feet. _"This is the future that will come to pass. I can remove you from this place, erase your knowledge of these events, and you will continue on your path. You will be unable to save him, but in time he will save himself, and the galaxy."_

Ahsoka shook her head. "No. No, I won't…" She struggled to find the words. "I won't let him."

The Daughter's voice grew darker. _"If you interfere with these events, the arc of history will be forever changed, and I will no longer be able to guide you. The future will become unwritten."_

"I don't care!" Ahsoka shouted, and she could feel a painful pressure in her head as she allowed emotion to overwhelm her. "I know Anakin! I can save him!"

_"Do not allow these_ emotions _to control you, Ahsoka,"_ the Daughter began, but Ahsoka cut her off again.

"No! Why would you show me these… _things_ if you didn't want me to change them?"

_"I wanted you to understand the consequences of your choice."_

"What choice? I never made a choice!"

Only now did the Daughter look away, as if she was lost in thought.

_"You did. But you do not remember it."_

Ahsoka said nothing, trying to comprehend what this meant, and then finally the Daughter waved her hand, and she was surrounded by the white circles, each with varying images, confusing scenes.

In one, she saw the girl with the yellow blade. In another, she saw a different girl, one with a purple lightsaber, who was locked in battle with what appeared to be her own twin brother. And in others still, there were events and places she didn't recognize at all.

One circle remained dark, and the Daughter motioned towards it.

_"I have seen different worlds. Different events. Different strands of time. But I cannot tell you what they will be before they happen. If you choose this path, Ahsoka Tano… I can no longer help you."_

Ahsoka wiped a tear from her cheek. "I understand. I will bear the consequences. But I'm not the one who needs help now."

The Daughter nodded her head, and the dark circle was filled with color: the bright walls of the Chancellor's office.

"Thank you, Daughter," Ahsoka said, and the ethereal being touched her shoulder.

_"May the Force be with you."_

And then Ahsoka stepped into the light.

* * *

Ahsoka found herself standing in the red-colored waiting room of Chancellor Palpatine's office.

She paused for a moment to catch her breath and get her bearings. It made sense that the portal had sent her here -- this was where Anakin was headed when he left her, to inform the Chancellor that the Separatists had surrendered.

She ran down the hall, past the reception desk, which was unstaffed for some reason, and into the main office. She sensed a presence in the Chancellor's private office and barged in without thinking.

But Anakin wasn't there. Instead, only Chancellor Palpatine himself sat behind his desk, watching a holo screen.

"Ahsoka Tano!" He broke into a large smile. "What a pleasant surprise! I have not had the chance to properly thank you for saving my life. Please, come in."

Ahsoka's eyes darted around the room. "Where's Anakin?"

"Why, you just missed him! I gave him some important information to pass on to the Jedi Council. Please sit!" Ahsoka sat in a chair opposite his desk, and he continued. "You seem quite distressed, my dear. What can I assist you with? I am in your debt."

Ahsoka didn't answer. Her thoughts were racing, and she could feel an overwhelming sense of imminent danger in the Force. The Daughter had said that if she stepped through the portal, she could alter Anakin's fate. _Then where is he?_

Palpatine frowned. "Oh, this won't do. I can feel how stressed you are." He walked over to a drink cabinet near his desk. "How about I get you something to drink, and you can tell me about the world between worlds."

Her entire body froze. Palpatine sat across from her and handed her a glass, and she stared at him.

"What did you say?"

He smiled. "The world between worlds. That is where you just were, yes? I can feel its residual energy on you. It's slight, but enough for someone to recognize it, if they know what to look for."

Palpatine was speaking Basic, but Ahsoka could barely process what he was saying. "You… you can…"

"I have spent much of my life looking for it, Ahsoka. The power to alter fate and control destiny… and now you, of all people, have been there. You were brought here for a reason, were you not?"

And then, suddenly, everything clicked in her mind. Anakin, the dark side, the execution of Dooku, Palpatine, Darth Sidious, Maul and Barriss' warnings --

She leapt to her feet and ignited her lightsabers. "It's _you._ You're Darth Sidious!"

Palpatine merely smiled. "Child, please sit down. I know why you are here. There is no reason to hide behind pretense."

"I'm contacting the Jedi Council."

"Ah, but that's what your master is doing. As we speak, a team of Jedi Masters are on their way to arrest me. But it will be for naught, as I think you already know."

"You are going to make Anakin turn to the dark side."

Palpatine got to his feet and walked around the desk. Ahsoka held the blades toward him. "I cannot _make_ him do anything, Ahsoka. He has already _chosen_ the dark side."

"No!" She screamed. "I won't let him!"

He got closer, still smiling, and she backed away, fear pounding in her head.

"You wish to save him? You wish to turn him from the path he has chosen?" Ahsoka had walked so far backwards that she was now pressed against the wall, and Palpatine got closer, her lightsabers inches from his neck. "You can save him, Ahsoka. There is still time."

For a long time, she did nothing, staring into the darkness of his eyes, and then he spoke softly, almost like a whisper. " _Do it._ Strike me down. I am an old man, and I have no weapon."

Ahsoka's hands were shivering, and she could barely hold the blades upright. "No…"

" _Yes._ You must kill me, or your master will be become _my_ servant."

Slowly, she lowered her weapons. "Never. I can see through your deception, Sidious. And Anakin Skywalker will not be your pawn. Not today."

Palpatine's smile slowly fell, replaced with something evil and full of hatred. "The Jedi Order cast you aside, and still you seek to protect them. Only through the power of the dark side can you save your master from me."

Ahsoka deactivated her lightsabers. "I am not afraid of you."

He began to approach her, but then he stopped, appearing distracted, and he spun on a dime right as --

"Master Windu! I have been expecting you." His voice returned to its conversational tone. Entering the room were Mace Windu, Obi-Wan, Saesee Tiin, and Agen Kolar.

"Masters! The Chancellor is a Sith Lord!" Ahsoka blurted, and Palpatine gave a small laugh. Mace looked at the others, stern looks upon their faces, and then in unison, they activated their lightsabers.

"Yes, Ahsoka. We know." Mace held his sword towards Palpatine in an aggressive stance. "In the name of the Galactic Senate of the Republic, you are under arrest, Chancellor."

Palpatine smirked. "Why don't we dispense with the formalities, shall we?"

The four Jedi Masters fanned out in an arc in front of Palpatine. "Ahsoka, head to the Council chambers," Obi-Wan said. "Anakin is there. He will --"

The next events happened suddenly, in a blur of movement and light, and it was hard for Ahsoka to tell exactly what had occurred. One moment Palpatine was standing between her and the other Jedi, and then suddenly he was moving, a red blade flying into his hand from somewhere unseen, and he lunged at great speed --

A cry went up, and Master Kolar collapsed to the ground, and the other Jedi started swinging at Palpatine --

Ahsoka snapped out of her trance and started to move towards the fray, in time to see Master Tiin fall, and then it was just Mace and Obi-Wan. Ahsoka activated her blades, but Obi-Wan shouted "No! Find Anakin!" and she was torn, she couldn't just abandon them, but he was right, Anakin needed her now, and so she moved to the door --

There was a bright flash of light that she saw just an instant before the room started spinning around her, and she was vaguely aware of the fact that she was now moving through the air, an electrical tingling feeling in her extremities, and she was so numbed by it that she didn't even feel the wall when she slammed against it.

As she lay on the ground, her whole body numbed and her vision blurred, she heard Obi-Wan shout her name, and she tried to get up and say something, but she couldn't, and so she remained there on the floor, staring helplessly at the scene playing out before her as the three remaining combatants moved out of the room and toward Palpatine's main office.

Ahsoka wasn't sure how long she was out, but when she heard a loud _BOOM_ , she was jolted back to attention and managed to get to her feet. She quickly grabbed her lightsabers off the ground and ran down the hall into the main office room. It was immediately apparent what had caused the noise -- electrical burn marks covered one corner of the room where Mace Windu was laying motionless. Near the large glass window, Obi-Wan was desperately fending off Palpatine, but she could feel his exhaustion and knew he wouldn't last much longer. As she ran towards him, she saw him slip and his guard went down for only a second, and then Palpatine's blade swung and sliced him across the chest, and his voice cried out before he slumped to the ground.

Ahsoka could feel his heartbeat, but it was barely there. Both he and Master Windu needed help, and she was all alone. She held up her lightsabers in a defiant stance. If this was where it ended, she would go down fighting.

Palpatine began to laugh, a vile cackling noise that scraped her eardrums, and that was when Ahsoka realized she wasn't alone after all.

"Ahsoka?"

Anakin was standing in the office entryway, staring at the fallen Jedi in a trance.

"Anakin, I was right!" Palpatine yelled. "The Jedi are taking over!"

"Obi-Wan…" Anakin's voice was faint, and he looked from Ahsoka to Palpatine and back again.

"If they kill me, my knowledge will be lost to you!"

Ahsoka turned to Anakin. "What did he promise you?"

"You shouldn't be here, Ahsoka."

She paused, and realized: "He told you he can save Padmé, didn't he?"

"I… can't lose her."

"Whatever he told you, it's a _lie_!"

Palpatine approached her from behind. "The Jedi deceived and betrayed her, and yet still she opposes you. She cannot be trusted, Anakin."

"That's not true! I would never stand against you."

Anakin shook his head and glared at her. "I need this, Ahsoka. I need her." His face softened, and she saw her master in his eyes again. "I lost my mother… I lost you… I can't lose Padmé too."

"You didn't lose me, Anakin. I was always here, and I always will be. But the dark side does not have the answer you seek." She retracted her lightsabers, knowing she was now completely defenseless to the Sith behind her, and to Anakin before her, and she extended her hand.

"It doesn't have to be this way. We can save her… together."

Anakin's face was a portrait of turmoil, his eyes and his mouth crinkled in frustration and confusion and anger.

"The Jedi are not strong enough to save her." His voice was low. " _You_ are not strong enough."

" _But I am_." Palpatine sounded almost demonic. "She will never let me aid you, Anakin. _You know what you must do_."

Anakin closed his eyes. "Get out of my way, Ahsoka."

Her vision was blurred by tears. "Never. I will _never_ leave you. Not this time."

Anakin ignited his lightsaber.

"I'm sorry."

And then he attacked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a heavy chapter to write. The logistics of the scene and the planning for future chapters were complicated.
> 
> I promise it won't be angst forever! But nobody said pulling Anakin from the dark side would be easy.
> 
> Thanks again to everyone who has been following along!


	7. Master and Apprentice

When Ahsoka was seven years old, she had run away from the Jedi Order.

Well, not really. She hadn't "run away" so much as she had gone and hidden herself in a hallway near an unused maintenance closet on the seventh floor of the Jedi Temple. As far as she was concerned, the Temple was all there was in the galaxy, and so this hallway was the farthest she could get from the only life she had ever known.

As she sat on the floor of the hallway, the setting sun casting shadows across the floor, drawing circles in the light layer of dust caught in the sunbeams, she heard a voice.

"I didn't know anyone else knew about this place."

It was an older boy, with cropped brown hair and a padawan's braid. He was watching her from several feet away.

"I'm sorry." She quickly got to her feet and bowed. "I shouldn't be here." The boy laughed.

"You don't need to do that. I'm not a Master. Or even a Jedi Knight. I'm just a kid."

Cautiously, Ahsoka sat back down again. The boy came over and sat next to her.

"What made you wander off, youngling?"

Ahsoka looked away from him. "I was supposed to complete the obstacle course, and I couldn't. This was my third try. Everyone has got it by now."

"So you ran away?" He laughed again. "Do you know how often I mess things up? Master Obi-Wan wants to kill me on a daily basis. Everyone gets it wrong sometimes."

"Maybe I'm not supposed to be a Jedi."

"I think you are. You've been training for this your whole life, right? Even longer than I have." He got up and walked over to one of the windows. "I like this hallway, because it's the best place to see the sunset in the whole Temple. It reminds me of home."

"Home?"

"Tatooine. It's where I grew up, and where my mom is." He was staring out the window, and it was as if he was talking to himself and not to her. "Someday I'm going to go back and rescue her, and bring her here, so we can be together again."

Ahsoka was confused. "Why?"

He turned and glared at her. "Why? Because she's my mother. I love her, and she loves me." Then his face softened. "I'm sorry. I guess you wouldn't know about all that, right? They took you when you were little."

She still didn't quite understand, but she could also feel sadness in the boy, so she walked over to the window and touched his arm and said "I hope you find her again."

He smiled. "I will. Listen… I don't know much about being a Jedi. You've been training longer than I have. Maybe _you_ should be my master instead."

Ahsoka laughed, and he continued. "But I do know that obstacle course doesn't decide who's a Jedi and who isn't. It's just a dumb test. Put it out of your mind, don't pay attention to what the other kids are doing, and just think one thought: _I am a Jedi_. Okay?"

"But I'm not a Jedi. I'm just a youngling."

The boy started to walk back down the hallway. "You will be one day, though, right? If you don't believe it first, nobody else will." He waved to her. "See you around, kid! May the Force be with you."

Ahsoka smiled, and realized she forgot to ask his name.

* * *

There was anger in him. There was hate, and fear, and pain.

But Ahsoka had known all of this about Anakin Skywalker. She had seen the anger and the hate and fear and pain before and it had never consumed him, because to have emotions was to be a living, organic thing with thoughts and feelings. It was Anakin who had taught Ahsoka to master those emotions and control them.

Whatever he was now, he was not in control anymore.

Instead, he was now pressing his lightsaber against her blades, glaring at her as if she was some monstrous creature, flames of rage glowing in his eyes. He was completely consumed by darkness, and it was as if he was now some other person entirely, barely a trace of the Anakin that she knew only minutes beforehand, like a switch had been flipped inside him.

She managed to break the stalemate and dodge another blow, twirling under his sword and coming up behind him, backing away as he turned to her.

"Anakin, stop! Listen to me --"

He moved towards her almost like a droid, full of purpose with no reluctance in his programmed goal, and swung the blade again, and again, not saying anything, consumed with a singular purpose. Ahsoka blocked each strike, but she could feel her own energy and motivation failing her -- _I don't want to do this!_

"I won't fight you, Anakin!"

They had found themselves back in the main office, Palpatine not far behind, his cackling echoing off the walls as he followed them.

"Do not let her deceive you, Anakin. If she cared for you, she would not have left you."

Ahsoka shook her head. "You _know_ that's not true!"

Anakin was breathing more heavily, yet she could tell he wasn't winded. "You _did_ leave, Ahsoka…"

"No! I…" She blinked back tears, trying to think of what to say, what combination of words would convince him that what Palpatine was saying was untrue, but…

"I never wanted to leave you, Anakin," she finally stammered. "But the Jedi hurt me, and they cast me aside… but you never did. You were always there for me."

For a moment, Anakin's eyes darted to the ground, and she could suddenly feel overwhelming doubt in him. It was only for a split second, but it was long enough for Ahsoka to get her bearings and determine what she needed to do next.

"I warned you to leave, Ahsoka," Anakin growled. "The Jedi turned against me. Don't you turn against me!"

Palpatine was grinning behind him, and Ahsoka knew that it was imperative she get Anakin away from him.

"I'm not going anywhere. Come and get me, master."

She swung one of her blades, shattering the window behind her, and Anakin lunged at her. She timed her next move perfectly, feeling the presence of the mechanical maintenance sled as it flew by the window, and then leaped out and landed on it. Anakin jumped after her, landing on the sled, which was around twenty feet long, just big enough for them to keep their distance as they fought.

The sled was on an automated path, moving in a circle around each floor of the Senate office building until it eventually reached the top. It was fast, and Ahsoka struggled to keep her balance as Anakin went on the offensive again. His every blow was a killing one. Fighting him was physically and mentally exhausting, and she knew that she didn't have it in her to survive a protracted duel, much less the skill to actually defeat her master.

"Anakin, stop! For just one minute, listen to me --" She dodged another swing, then moved away, refusing to fight. "Palpatine has lied to you, manipulated you! He's trying to use you to destroy the Jedi --"

"The Jedi abandoned you, Ahsoka. They would have left you to die at the Republic's hands!"

"They would have! But _you didn't!_ They made a mistake, and you were there for me."

The maintenance sled was now hovering near the roof of the building. Ahsoka glanced around, attempting to figure out her next move. "Anakin, the Jedi may not have the answers you seek. But the Sith don't either. Palpatine will destroy the Jedi and the Republic and everyone that we know and care about --"

"Not Padmé. He can save her. I felt it, in the Force, when he spoke. The dark side is the only path to saving her life. I wish it didn't have to be this way."

Then Anakin lowered his sword and extended his hand. "I want your help, Ahsoka. I _need_ your help. I can teach you, just like old times." A strained smile crossed his face. "Everything can be as it was before."

Blinking back the tears again, Ahsoka shook her head. "No. It can't be. This isn't the way."

His face contorted with rage again, and with lightning speed he swung the saber at her, and she flipped backwards over the yawning gap between the sled and the roof of the building. For a moment, it seemed like she'd made it.

Then she felt pain ripping through her entire body and the world spun around her, and she smashed into the roof, collapsing onto her back.

Desperately, she glanced around her, fight-or-flight instincts blaring in her head, and she realized the overwhelming pain was coming from her right arm. A laser burn had dug at least an inch deep into her skin, and she could feel herself losing sensation in her fingers. She attempted to get to her feet, only to become dizzy and nauseous with pain, and she collapsed again.

Anakin approached her, moving with that droid-like methodical gait again, and she reached for her lightsabers, only to realize that one of them had disappeared -- dropped into the abyss, presumably -- and as she raised the other, Anakin swung his own blade in a single motion that sliced the hilt in half and nearly took her hand with it.

_It's over._

She was unarmed, defenseless, and severely injured, and now Anakin was standing over her with his lightsaber raised, glaring into her eyes with malice and hate and…

His eyes softened. His hands shook, unsure, and she could feel the conflict surging through every part of him.

"She is all that stands in your way, Anakin."

Palpatine was on the roof now, and in her dazed and confused state Ahsoka was unsure how he'd even arrived there -- there must be a staircase or elevator from his office to the roof access -- but it didn't matter, because his presence meant that she'd failed in her efforts to get Anakin away from this malevolent, corrupting force. Or maybe it wasn't Palpatine's fault -- maybe it really was Anakin who had made this choice, and she had failed to draw him away from it. But either way…

_I failed._

"Kill her."

Anakin's face continued to twist, changing from anger to sadness to confusion and back to anger, and she felt at once both fear and sympathy, and she tried to reach out to him, both with her hand and her mind.

"Anakin," she whispered, barely able to hear her own voice. "Please… I can help you."

Palpatine's voice grew deeper, more vicious. "The dark side is the only way to save your wife. You _know_ this. Embrace my power. _Strike her down!_ "

Anakin shook his head. "Ahsoka… you're… confusing me…"

Slowly, Ahsoka rose to her feet, her right arm limp and numb at her side, pain racing through every joint and nerve, and Anakin raised his sword and held it towards her face, his hand shaking, his face streaked with almost-invisible tears.

Neither of them moved.

 _"DO IT!"_ Palpatine roared from behind him. _"Fulfill your destiny!"_

Ahsoka took a step forward, so that Anakin's blade was only an inch away, and gave him a smile.

"You are my brother, Anakin. _I love you._ And I know that together we can accomplish anything. _You_ taught me that." Despite the pain, she held her head high, and slowly closed her eyes.

"I will always love you, Anakin. So will Padmé. So will Obi-Wan, and your mother… and your child. No matter what you do next… we will love you."

Anakin lowered his lightsaber.

And then Ahsoka felt a presence behind her, a vehicle, and its pilot, and then a light shined on the rooftop --

"Anakin?"

It was Padmé, sitting in the cockpit of her speeder, her eyes wide in the light of the beam she was flashing at them in the darkness, her mouth agape. Ahsoka could sense two other life forms in the speeder -- Obi-Wan and Mace Windu? -- their heartbeats weak but steady.

How she had arrived there, how she had known to come, were a mystery to Ahsoka, but in this moment, with the light shining around her, she almost did look like an angel.

Padmé's voice was shaking. "Anakin… what is going on?"

"NO!" Palpatine screamed, and she felt him approaching, felt the sudden surge of anger inside him, and the conflict in Anakin, and suddenly Ahsoka realized…

_It's working._

"Whatever you've done, Anakin… just… we can fix it." Padmé said. "I love you."

"Love will not save her," Palpatine spat. "Only I can. _You must choose!_ "

Anakin dropped his lightsaber and his hands went to his head. "I can't --"

_"You must!"_

"We trust you, Anakin --"

"I can't do it --"

_"Fulfill your destiny!"_

"You are _stronger_ than him, Anakin --"

"I'm not --"

"You _are!_ "

"I can't --"

"We _can!_ Together!"

"Use your _hatred_ , Anakin -- "

"We _love_ you, Anakin --"

And then he screamed, so loud that it felt like the heavens had ripped open, and for just a moment everything seemed frozen in time, and Ahsoka could see some kind of light emerging from inside him, a wave of energy, and it appeared as though reality itself was fracturing around him, streaks of white amidst the darkness, and then suddenly she was thrown through the air, and she saw Palpatine go flying backwards as well, and as Ahsoka hit the ground she saw Anakin's eyes close and his body go limp as he fell to the ground.

The air was suddenly quiet.

In the Force, she could feel his breathing. He was… okay.

In time, Ahsoka would think back on this moment, this sudden silence, as the last second of calm before the storm. Before everything changed.

But even though her world was about to collapse, Ahsoka Tano would always know that this was the moment that Anakin Skywalker was saved.

This was the moment Anakin Skywalker chose to return to the light.

And it changed everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter (again) took longer than expected, and I'm not entirely satisfied with it, because it was tough to get to this point in terms of Anakin's development and how everything comes together. But I'm excited about where the story goes from here.


	8. The Shadow Falls

When Ahsoka burst into Trace and Rafa's shop, she still hadn't figured out how to explain what was happening.

This was likely because she also had no idea what was happening herself.

What she did know was this: Anakin had collapsed to the ground, and Ahsoka ran to his side, pulling his unconscious form up and dragging him to Padmé's speeder. Despite the chaotic events that had just occurred, the only thing she had been able to think about was how _heavy_ Anakin was.

They had flown away from the Senate office building as Palpatine screamed something incomprehensible after them, and Padmé had explained how Obi-Wan contacted her and told her that Anakin needed her at his side at the Jedi Temple while the other Jedi arrested Palpatine. When she couldn't locate him, she went looking for him at the Chancellor's office, and came upon the carnage.

Ahsoka knew she'd never be able to stop thanking Padmé for her insistence on putting her nose where it didn't belong.

Padmé had suggested taking the three wounded Jedi to the Temple, but as the speeder raced across the Senate District towards the towering spires Ahsoka had once called home, the two women were shocked to see what could only be described as a full-fledged military invasion.

Thousands of clone troopers were marching up the stairs into the building, while multiple attack gunships were hovering around the spires, opening fire through the windows of the structure. Smoke billowed from part of the building, and within seconds, became a full conflagration.

For a long moment, neither of them said anything. Then Ahsoka asked how this could be possible, and Padmé, her face grim, responded that this was Palpatine's endgame: to destroy the Jedi and remove all resistance to his rule.

It was at that point they had to debate where else to go -- if Palpatine had declared some kind of war on the Jedi, nowhere was safe, and they were likely all branded fugitives. Ahsoka explained that she knew two friends on the lower levels who could harbor them, but it was then that Obi-Wan regained consciousness and piped up from the backseat, explaining that they needed to warn other Jedi from returning to Coruscant and walking into a trap.

And so Ahsoka recommended that Obi-Wan head to the Republic Medical Center to find Rex, in hopes that he might be able to infiltrate the Temple and broadcast a message to other Jedi across the galaxy. Obi-Wan was still in a very weakened state, but some emergency bacta patches in Padmé's speeder seemed to get him going, and so they dropped him off at the hospital before flying to Trace and Rafa's shop, where Ahsoka introduced them to Padmé.

"So wait, what happens now? The Jedi are criminals or something?" Trace was sitting on a work bench next to her ship, which she had -- of course -- been working on when they arrived.

"We don't know. The Republic military was attacking the Jedi Temple. The Chancellor is a Sith Lord and he's trying to take over the galaxy. We don't know how many Jedi are still alive, or where they are."

Rafa, who was nonchalantly eating some fruit as if nothing interesting was going on at all, walked over to them. "Wait, the Chancellor is a _what_?" she asked, her mouth full.

"A Sith Lord." It was a deeper voice that spoke -- Master Windu had come to and was sitting up in the back of Padmé's speeder. "It means we're in very grave danger." He paused and looked down at the seat next to him. "Skywalker?"

"It's a long story," Padmé said, and she explained Obi-Wan's whereabouts to him.

"I have Master Yoda's frequency," Mace said, "I can contact him on Kashyyyk and request backup."

Trace led him to their communications equipment, and he patched himself into Yoda's comm frequency. But after several attempts at establishing a connection, nobody answered.

"I sense great suffering," Mace mumbled, almost too low for Ahsoka to hear. "Something terrible has happened."

"Do you think he's…" Ahsoka couldn't bring herself to say it.

"I don't know. But I can feel a great disturbance in the Force, across the entire galaxy. Endless death and destruction."

Ahsoka nodded; her head was still throbbing, but she could feel the undercurrents of the Force crying out in pain.

Mace looked at her and spoke in a low voice. "Ahsoka, why is Skywalker here? I told him to wait at the Temple."

She thought for a moment about what to say. "Anakin came to the Chancellor's office to try and help. I believe the Chancellor was --"

"Seducing him to the dark side." Mace's face crumpled up in frustration. "I knew it. I knew putting them together was dangerous. What happened then?"

"Well, he kind of… attacked me, but --"

"He _attacked_ you?"

"Palpatine offered him the power to save Padmé's life. He thinks she's going to die in childbirth, and Anakin was desperate to save her. But he chose the right path, and something happened, and… he fell unconscious, I guess?"

Mace's eyes narrowed. "So he is the child's father?"

"Is this really what we need to be concerned about right now?"

Before Mace could respond, Ahsoka's comlink beeped. She answered it, and Obi-Wan's voice came through. He sounded a bit strained.

"Ahsoka, we've got a problem here at the Medical Center."

"What's wrong? Is Rex still too injured to help?"

"Oh no, he's doing quite fine! He's up and about, good as new. The problem is that he's trying to kill me."

"He's _what_?"

Obi-Wan laughed, and Ahsoka could hear a commotion in the background. "I've barricaded myself in a supply room, but I don't think it will hold. Listen, as much as I would like to believe he got tired of my winning personality, I suspect he has been brainwashed in some fashion -- all of the clones have."

Mace rubbed his chin. "CT-5555."

"What?" Ahsoka asked.

"Three months ago, clone trooper CT-5385 killed Master Tiplar during a routine engagement. 5555 claimed that 5385 had done so under duress from a microchip in his head, and that the Chancellor was involved in a plot to kill the Jedi. At the time, his claims were considered non-credible."

Ahsoka's eyes widened. "How about now?"

* * *

Like seemingly every other building in the city, the Republic Medical Center was under a full lockdown, with gunships hovering around and clones marching outside. They had dropped Obi-Wan near a service vent, but that area was now patrolled by clones. Getting inside would be difficult.

At Ahsoka's insistence, Padmé had remained at Trace and Rafa's shop with the unconscious Anakin, leaving Ahsoka and Master Windu to take the speeder to the hospital and provide Obi-Wan with aid. The pair were now watching the entrance to the hospital through binoculars from an adjacent rooftop.

"We could cut our way through," Mace suggested.

"I lost my lightsabers in the fight."

"This would be the fight with Skywalker that you refuse to tell me about?"

"It's beside the point. Do we have another way in?"

Mace furrowed his brow. "I'll create a distraction. Find Obi-Wan and return as soon as you can."

Before Ahsoka could say anything, Mace leapt from the rooftop and dropped in front of a clone patrol. As he fell, he ignited his lightsaber and dove it into one of the clone's chests. Another shouted _"Jedi!"_ and suddenly, dozens were opening fire on him.

Ahsoka watched as Mace ran from the firefight, deflecting and dodging shots with expert precision, and he disappeared around the corner of a neighboring building, dozens of clones in pursuit.

The hospital entrance was now guarded by only a pair of clones. Ahsoka approached them cautiously, and as they turned to her, she waved her hand.

"I have business inside the hospital. You will let me inside."

The two clones glanced at each other. "She has business inside the hospital," one said. "We will let her inside."

Ahsoka stepped through the front door and began wandering the hallways, which were suspiciously empty. She noticed a clone standing at attention near a doorway.

Ahsoka waved her hand again. "Soldier, report on the whereabouts of the fugitive Jedi Master."

The clone rubbed his helmet for a moment. "Fugitive Jedi Master reported on floor 4, section 32, ma'am."

Ahsoka took the elevator to the fourth floor, and as she exited into another hallway, she could hear the sounds of a loud machine running nearby. She crept down the hall and saw the familiar silhouette of Rex, balancing himself with a mechanical leg, still wearing a hospital gown. There were three other clones, who were using a large laser cutting device to saw through a door.

"Rex!" Ahsoka shouted, and all four clones spun around and stared at her.

There didn't even appear to be a moment of recognition behind Rex's eyes before he shouted _"Blast her!"_

Ahsoka turned and ran down the hall, dodging into an adjacent room as blaster fire streaked the walls behind her. She hid next to the door frame, and as one of the clones walked in, she shoved her knee into his chest before heaving him up and over her shoulders, throwing him aside.

She twirled around just as a second clone came through the doorway, and did a backflip, kicking his blaster out of his hands. She called it to her hand with the Force and fired a stun shot at him and the clone behind him. All three were down within seconds.

Ahsoka waited another moment, then peered out into the hallway. Rex was nowhere to be seen.

As she moved back into the room, she had a brief second of clairvoyance, a figure in the room's other entrance, then ducked as the heat from a blaster bolt dug into the wall where her head was. She scurried to hide behind a large medical bed.

_"Come out, Jedi scum! Make this easy on yourself."_

Ahsoka knew outing her position with her voice was risky, but she had to try. "Rex! It's Ahsoka. Listen to me, whatever they've done to you --"

She heard blaster fire and the bed shook from the shots but remained intact. Ahsoka heard him approaching, the metal leg clunking against the ground, and right as he turned the corner of the bed, she shot her leg out and kicked the metal appendage out from under him, causing him to trip towards the floor. With a swift movement, she swung her fist upward into his jaw, sending him crashing to the floor.

"I'm sorry, Rex…" she mumbled, struggling to pick him up and get him on to the bed. She knew she likely had only minutes before another patrol came by.

Ahsoka sensed a presence and spun around to see Obi-Wan in the doorway. "You have impeccable timing. Another few minutes and they might have made it through that door."

"You wouldn't have actually… killed him, right? If it had come to that?"

Obi-Wan rubbed his temples. "I would certainly make every effort to avoid doing so, Ahsoka. But… something has clearly gone very wrong. The clones are… not our friends anymore."

"I don't believe that. Master Windu told me about Fives, and an inhibitor chip in their heads, and if we can get it out…" As she spoke, she hooked Rex to the diagnostic equipment, but nothing appeared on the scan of his head.

"Ahsoka… we need to be getting out of here. We can examine Rex elsewhere."

She shook her head. "No, no, there's something we're missing…"

The room was deathly silent, which inexplicably made it _harder_ to concentrate, but Ahsoka tried her best. She blocked out every intrusive thought, every bit of terror that had creeped into her over the past few agonizing hours and placed her hands on Rex's head.

_"I am one with the Force and the Force is with me. I am one with the Force and the Force is with me."_

Slowly, the unconscious Rex began repeating her words, and then she heard a beep --

"Unbelievable," Obi-Wan muttered. "There _is_ something in there." He pressed a series of buttons, and a surgical implement fired a subdermal laser into Rex's head. Ahsoka winced, but Rex appeared to feel no pain. Some blood emerged from the wound, and she placed a piece of gauze on it.

Slowly, Rex sat up in his seat. "Ahsoka?"

She grinned for the first time in what felt like a decade. "Rex! You're okay?"

"You don't want to kill us?" Obi-Wan quipped from behind her.

"No, of course not." He sounded exhausted. "I'm sorry, General Kenobi. I had no control --"

"It's quite all right, Rex. But we need to be going. I don't think we have enough time to perform brain surgery on every clone in this building."

After they went back down the hallway, Ahsoka helped Rex into the elevator. "Rex… what's going on?"

"It's all of us, Commander. Every clone… we've been programmed to kill the Jedi."

"This was the plan the whole time," Obi-Wan said. "Palpatine engineered the clone army to wipe out the Jedi Order. It all makes sense now."

"How could this happen?" Ahsoka pondered aloud.

"Palpatine twisted Anakin to his will, right under our noses, and we didn't see that either."

Ahsoka shook her head. "But Anakin _didn't_ turn. He chose the light, and he's going to help us stop this. I know he will."

Obi-Wan gave her a dark look. "We can only hope."

The elevator arrived back at the top floor, and they walked outside, where the two clones Ahsoka had mind tricked were still stationed. Obi-Wan glanced around. "Where is Master Windu?"

"Right behind you." Mace emerged from around the side of the building, breathing heavily, a blaster wound in his arm. Obi-Wan helped him keep steady.

"Did you… kill _all_ those clones that went after you?" Ahsoka asked.

Mace shrugged. "It'll take a bit more than that to keep me down. Let's get out of here." He gave a nod to Rex, who saluted him, and they called the speeder from the nearby rooftop.

Obi-Wan helped Rex into the speeder. "Rex, if we got you to the Jedi Temple, do you think you could program the Temple's distress beacon? Warn other surviving Jedi to stay away?"

"Get me some armor and I'm sure I can get in there, yeah."

The three men prepared for takeoff, but Ahsoka hesitated.

"What's the matter, Ahsoka? We need to be getting back to Padmé… and finding a way off this death trap." Obi-Wan extended her his hand.

"I have… something else I need to do first."

Despite Obi-Wan's objections, Ahsoka had already made her decision, and so as the two Jedi Masters flew off with Rex, they dropped Ahsoka off at the Republic Center for Military Operations.

* * *

She had broken out once before. Breaking in was another matter.

But as she crept through ventilation shafts, overpowered clone guards, and worked her way deeper into the structure, Ahsoka found herself wondering if what she was doing was the right choice -- if she had rescued one friend from the dark side, only to be about to unleash another.

Ahsoka mind tricked the clone guarding the entrance to the Freezer and walked into the observation room. The time for second guessing was over.

_"Hey, Ahsoka."_

Barriss laughed, the mask over her mouth muffling her voice. "I've been waiting for you."

Ahsoka gritted her teeth.

"All right, Barriss. Let's get you out of here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, again, for the long wait. Work has had me occupied lately. I also find myself being less productive during quarantine.
> 
> The planned content for this chapter ended up being longer than anticipated, and so I split it into two chapters, with the second one being more eventful.
> 
> This next chapter will probably be the last one for a little while since I'll be taking a short break; it'll end on a cliffhanger that serves as a good transition point to the next part of the story. Thanks again for following along!


	9. A New Hope

Ahsoka disabled the clamps suspending Barriss from the ceiling, and she dropped to the ground. She watched as Barriss removed the mask sealed over the bottom half of her face.

"I guess the security here isn't as good as they think, if I could just come in and free you like this," Ahsoka mused. "I guess with most of the clones occupied with what's going on outside --"

Letting her guard down for even a split second was, evidently, a mistake. As she looked up from the control panel, she had a split second to comprehend Barriss leaping through the air and kicking straight through the glass window. As it shattered, Ahsoka found herself thrown back against the wall, where she crumpled to the ground, her head ringing for what was probably the fifth time that day.

As she struggled to her feet, Barriss grabbed her and slammed her up against the wall, her arm pinned across Ahsoka's chest.

"I'm sorry, Ahsoka. I just wanted to make sure we were on _even footing_." Barriss gave her a smile dripping with malice.

Ahsoka swung her fist, decking Barriss in the face and making her stagger back, and then she jumped up and delivered a kick to her chest while she was off balance. Barriss flew back and went into a roll, leaping back up into a defensive position.

"Oh, are we going to do this _here_?"

"I'm trying to do you a favor, Barriss."

"Is _that_ what you call it?" Barriss laughed. "You need me because you've suddenly found yourself without any friends, right?"

"I have plenty of friends -- _real_ friends, not the kind that try to get me killed. I'm here because I want to help you."

"Well, in that case, thank you for the help." Barriss turned and ran for the door, but Ahsoka beat her to it, and pushed her former friend back with the Force. Barriss raised her fists and swung, and Ahsoka dodged, blocking another blow with her arm.

"I'm not here to _fight_ you, Barriss. But if you want to get out of here, you need to listen to me --"

"Actually, I think I just need to get _through_ you."

Barriss used the Force to try and push Ahsoka back, but she raised her hand and pushed against her, and they were suddenly at a stalemate, energy pulsing through them, their feet digging into the floor as they each struggled to gain an advantage.

Ahsoka closed her eyes and let go of the anger that was seething inside her towards the girl she had once considered her friend, and then a surge of energy sent Barriss soaring into the air, crashing against the control console.

She collapsed to the ground, and Ahsoka walked to her side. Slowly, she extended a hand.

"This is bigger than you and me, Barriss. Whatever is going on right now… Palpatine probably won't let you live either. I won't be responsible for your death."

Barriss looked up at her from the floor, and rage flashed across her eyes. "Why not, Ahsoka? I hurt you and left you to die. You should do the same to me. I _know_ you want to."

"I don't want to, Barriss. That's not the Jedi way."

Barriss pulled herself to her feet. "But you're _not_ a Jedi, are you?" Then took one of Ahsoka's hands in her own, and the touch sent a chill up her spine. "You can be whatever you want now. You can be _whoever_ you want now. The Jedi are dead --"

"They're not. Not all of them. You were _wrong_ about Anakin, Barriss." For just a moment, Ahsoka saw a look of surprise in Barriss' eyes.

"Anakin chose to reject the darkness, and now… now we're going to get out of here and we're going to find all the survivors we can, and we're going to fix this." Ahsoka relaxed, trying to set Barriss at ease. "You can help us."

Barriss narrowed her eyes. "And what if I don't? You'll lock me up again?"

"No. I want you to be free to find your own path, Barriss. Just like I am."

Barriss let go of Ahsoka's hand and stepped past her into the hallway. "Then let's get out of here before those clones decide our path for us."

* * *

They made their way through a series of unsecured ceiling vents to a maintenance exit on the roof, where Ahsoka contacted Trace. She explained that Obi-Wan had departed for the Jedi Temple with Rex and that she, Rafa, Padmé, and Mace Windu were headed there now in the _Silver Angel_ for a pickup.

Ahsoka and Barriss began making their way across the rooftops of nearby buildings in an effort to get to the rendezvous site, around a mile away. It was the dead of night, but the bright lights from thousands of buildings and the glowing inferno that was once the Jedi Temple illuminated the skyline. As Ahsoka leapt from one building to the next, she suddenly found herself yawning loudly, and it occurred to her that it had been nearly a full day since she last slept.

"Long day, Ahsoka?" Barriss sneered.

"Just need to take a breather for a minute."

"So when we meet up with your friends, I assume they'll welcome me back with open arms?"

"I'll vouch for you. But I need to know that I'm making the right choice."

"You have bigger things to worry about than me stabbing you in the back. I learned my lesson last time… if I ever try to kill you, I want you to see it coming."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "That's reassuring."

They arrived at the rooftop rendezvous point, but after several minutes passed, Ahsoka grew anxious. She and Barriss had actually run a few minutes late, and yet the _Silver Angel_ was still nowhere to be seen.

"Maybe they ditched us," Barriss said, picking at her fingernails.

"They didn't ditch us. Just… be patient."

Then Ahsoka heard her comlink beep, and as she opened the channel, she heard Trace's voice shrieking through the small device.

"Ahsoka, you better be at that rendezvous point, we're coming in hot!"

Ahsoka swung her head around to look at the skyline, searching for the ship. "What's going on?"

"Just be ready to get onboard!"

The _Silver Angel_ suddenly hurtled into view, screaming past the skyscrapers towards the building they were standing on. In hot pursuit were three Coruscant security fighters. She watched as Trace's ship soared over the rendezvous point and performed a loop, the bottom turret firing shots at one of the fighters, destroying it.

The ship continued taking fire from the remaining fighters, and as Trace came around for another pass, Ahsoka closed her eyes and raised her hands. She felt the fighters in the Force, focused on their controls, concentrated as hard as she could despite the exhaustion and pain and lack of sleep, and…

One of the fighters spiraled out of control, slamming into the other, and both went down in a cloud of smoke beyond the skyline.

"Impressive," Barriss said, sounding bored.

The _Silver Angel_ landed on the rooftop, and the entrance ramp extended. Obi-Wan was standing in the doorway.

"Thank you for the assist." He narrowed his eyes. "Barriss Offee. I don't like this, Ahsoka."

"That's okay. You don't have to," Barriss sneered.

Ahsoka and Barriss ran up the ramp into the ship's cargo compartment. Padmé was strapped in, drenched in sweat and looking anxious. To her right was Mace Windu, and across from him was Rex. Trace and Rafa were in the cockpit.

"Where's Anakin?" Ahsoka asked.

"He's still unconscious," Padmé said, her voice strained. "He still won't wake up."

Ahsoka eyed her with confusion. "Padmé, what's wrong?"

Padmé winced and then smiled. "Nothing. We just need to get out of here."

As the _Silver Angel_ took off and started flying towards the upper atmosphere, Obi-Wan explained that they had successfully transmitted a message from the Jedi Temple to any surviving Jedi, warning them to stay away from Coruscant.

"We've also received a communication from Senator Organa of Alderaan," Mace chimed in. "He says that he has located Master Yoda."

"That's great news!" Ahsoka said, feeling a rush of happiness again. Perhaps things were actually going to be okay.

Then the entire ship shook from a blast, and Trace's voice came over the speakers in the cargo bay. "We've got another problem! Can you get back on the turret?"

Rex started limping over to the turret hatch, while Ahsoka ran to the cockpit. She saw a Star Destroyer in view, and alarms sounding on the panels.

"Apparently, they didn't like our clearance code," Rafa said.

"They're blockading the planet. Nobody in or out without the proper authorization." Ahsoka sat behind Trace and watched as she maneuvered the ship away from a volley of incoming turbolaser fire.

"We're not going to last long against that thing!"

"We just need to get far enough away that we can jump to lightspeed," Ahsoka said, trying to calm her.

As a detachment of ARC-170s flew out of the Star Destroyer's hangar, Trace gunned the engines and flew as fast as she could away from the capital ship's range.

Then Barriss appeared in the cockpit doorway. "Hey Ahsoka. Your pregnant friend is, uh…"

Ahsoka leapt from her seat, pushed her way past Barriss, and ran into the cargo bay.

Padmé was sitting on the floor, her legs up, gasping for breath, while Obi-Wan was on his knees in front of her, his hands on her shoulders, trying to calm her down.

"I think our new friend has decided to join us a little early," Obi-Wan laughed, but Padmé cut him off with a groan of pain.

"Just hold on, Padmé," Ahsoka said, sitting next to her and squeezing her arm. "We're jumping to lightspeed soon --"

The ship shook again, and Trace shouted an apology from the cockpit.

Ahsoka's thoughts suddenly turned dark, as she remembered Anakin's warnings. Padmé's face was pale, and Ahsoka could feel the senator's heartbeat racing. Was this normal? She'd never exactly delivered a baby before, but could Anakin's vision be true?

Was Padmé going to die here?

Was it all going to be for nothing?

_No._

_I won't let it._

And so Ahsoka and Obi-Wan held on to Padmé, feeling the Force flow through the three of them, as she pushed and screamed and the ship shuddered and rocked, and smoke billowed into the cargo bay from a blast, and then, as she felt Padmé's breathing become more labored and her grip on Ahsoka's arm start to weaken, she felt a presence, and Padmé whispered:

_"Anakin."_

He was standing in the doorway, looking weak, gripping the doorframe for stability, and as he walked over to them Ahsoka ran to his side and helped him.

"I'm here," he said, and Padmé smiled and began to push again, and the ship started to shake as Trace shouted _"Everybody hold on!"_ and the _Silver Angel_ lurched into hyperspace.

Padmé continued pushing and heaving, and Anakin clutched her hand and asked her to hold on just a bit longer. Padmé's labor went in and out, her breathing steadying thanks to Anakin's presence, and within an hour they'd arrived at Obi-Wan's suggested landing site -- Polis Massa, an off-the-grid asteroid colony with a state-of-the-art medical facility.

Ahsoka ran off the ship and explained the situation to the attendants, and they quickly brought a stretcher. Padmé was brought into the operating theater, with Anakin at her side.

Everyone -- minus Barriss, who decided to wait outside -- gathered in an adjoining room, with a window they could watch through.

"When this is over… we need to discuss _him_ ," Mace said, his voice low.

"There will be a time and a place to discuss Anakin," Obi-Wan said, "But now is not that time. We need to find Master Yoda and determine our next course of action. We may still yet have an opportunity to prevent this _Emperor_ from dominating the galaxy."

Before Mace could reply, Padmé's shouts caught their attention, and a medical droid turned around, holding a baby in its arms. Anakin took the child, and Obi-Wan went into the room, followed by Ahsoka.

Anakin handed the child to Obi-Wan, who knelt down next to Padmé, so she could see.

Padmé smiled and said: _"Luke."_

Then she started to groan again, and Ahsoka looked at Obi-Wan with confusion, because --

_There was another child?_

But no sooner had she made this realization than the medical droid was holding a second baby, a girl, and Anakin took her into his arms.

Padmé reached out and squeezed the child's fingers.

_"Leia."_

Despite everything that had happened -- the death and destruction and chaos and the complete collapse of the only life she'd ever known -- Ahsoka felt a swell of pride and happiness. They were beautiful names, and beautiful children, and she was happy to be able to be here for this moment.

Padmé's vitals spiked, and the medical droids gave her an injection of a substance, and her charts returned to normal. Ahsoka let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

She and Obi-Wan left the room to give Anakin and Padmé some space, and Ahsoka decided to go outside to find Barriss. She was sitting cross-legged on the ground in the enclosed entrance ramp leading into the Polis Massa facility, her eyes closed. It almost looked like she was… meditating?

"I can sense you there, Ahsoka," Barriss grumbled.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize you still did… _stuff_ like this."

"What, meditation? I did an awful lot of it, locked away in that prison. The Jedi don't own the concept of peace and quiet."

Ahsoka sat next to her. "I will make sure you don't go back to a cell. With everything happening, I would hope Obi-Wan and Mace Windu can see reason that we need all the help we can get."

Barriss opened her eyes and glared at Ahsoka. "Bold of you to assume I'm here to help you. You set me free, and as soon as I can get a ship and get out of here, that's what I'm doing."

"I'm not going to stop you. But I would ask you to look at what's going on… you were right. In some terrible way, you were right that the Jedi had lost their way. They never saw this coming, and that doesn't justify what you did, but…" Ahsoka was just speaking her thoughts out loud, and they weren't making sense and Barriss was ignoring her, so she shut her mouth and got up to leave. As she walked back to the door, she paused and decided to say one more thing.

"This has been a day of death, Barriss. But… it's also been a day of new life. A new hope. A new start. Maybe you can have one too."

At this point the exhaustion was setting in completely, and she could barely walk straight, so Ahsoka bid goodnight to Obi-Wan and decided to retire to a side room to catch some sleep.

* * *

Ahsoka had only been out a few hours when she heard a soft _hoot_.

She jolted up in bed and saw the emerald convor in the rafters of the room, staring at her.

Ahsoka rubbed the sleep from her eyes and got to her feet, watching the convor as it tilted its head. Slowly, she felt frustration brew inside her.

"What do you want now?" she snapped. "I saved Anakin, but at what cost? The Republic still fell. The Jedi Order is gone. Have I made things even worse than they would have been? Just let me sleep."

The convor _hoot_ ed again, and Ahsoka stormed out of the room, ignoring it, her thoughts elsewhere.

As she wandered the deserted halls of the hospital, she sensed a familiar presence. Following it, she found herself in a large hangar, where a Z-95 Headhunter sat at a fueling station. Standing next to it was…

"Anakin?" Ahsoka realized it was the first time they'd been alone since their fight.

Anakin turned to her slowly. "Ahsoka… go back to bed."

"Where are you going?" Realization had begun to dawn on her.

"Go back to bed, Ahsoka --"

"No!" She was talking louder than she had intended but decided to go with it. "You're not my master anymore, and you can't give me orders. Sit down and talk to me."

"When I woke up, it was like I could sense the Force itself _dying_ ," Anakin said, refusing to make eye contact with her. "It all hit me, all at once, and I realized these are the consequences of the choices I made."

"The choice you made was to reject the dark side! Padmé is okay, your children are alive and healthy… we can fix this together."

Anakin shook his head. "I allowed Palpatine into my head. I allowed him to twist my mind, turn me against you and Obi-Wan and the Jedi… I could have stopped him, and instead I stood by and let… _this_ happen."

Ahsoka walked towards him and extended her hand again, as she had before. "Anakin… don't run away. Stay here and fix this. Be the husband and the father and the Jedi that I know you can be."

"I'm not running away, Ahsoka. I've felt it, in the Force, what I need to do. Just like you did. I can't explain it, but… I know that I'm not where I need to be. Luke and Leia, you and Obi-Wan… and Padmé. You deserve better."

Then he began climbing the ladder into the cockpit, and Ahsoka shouted "Anakin, _wait!_ " and he turned to her with a small smile.

"I need to do this, Snips. I need to take the time to become the person that you believe I can be. And when the time comes… I know we'll see each other again."

Then he closed the cockpit, and the ship began to lift off, and Ahsoka threw her hands out, pulling it back, the engines straining against the power of the Force, and she gritted her teeth and dug in her heels and screamed over the roar of the engines, but they were too strong, and she realized…

_I have to let him go._

So she did. And the Headhunter blasted off from the hangar and into the depths of space, and left her standing there, all alone.

She wondered if this was how he felt when she walked away.

The hangar was cold and empty and silent, except for the soft _hoot_ of the convor as it landed on her shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so ends part one.
> 
> I'm going to be taking a bit of a break from this story for a couple weeks (hopefully no more than that) to recharge my thoughts. I have a few other things going on in life distracting me at the moment, and this is a good pause point. When we pick back up, we'll have a timeskip to deal with, the search for Anakin, Barriss' struggle for redemption, auntie Ahsoka and the Skywalker twins, and the formation of a new Rebellion seeking to find a way to destroy the Empire. Can history change again?
> 
> I have a lot of exciting ideas for the second half of the story and I hope you all stick around for them. Thank you for reading everything so far!


	10. Two Years

Sometimes Ahsoka longed for how the galaxy had been before.

Sometimes, like right now, as she ran down the bored-out halls of an ancient cavern, she almost missed the battlefields of the Clone Wars, with the droid armies marching in perfect formation while the clones shouted orders and dust and fire filled the air. It had seemed like utter chaos, at the time, and yet now she longed for it.

Sometimes, like right now, as she bolted out into the cold air of this unnamed moon, alarms sounding behind her, she missed the days when the biggest threat to the Republic was the Confederacy of Independent Systems, when the enemy she was opposing was a mass of faceless droids and not an army of clones she once considered friends.

Sometimes, like right now, she missed the days when she and Barriss would trade war stories and hang out in their off time, instead of running for their lives from a tyrannical Empire on the verge of complete galactic domination.

Speaking of Barriss…

"I could really use a lift right now!" Ahsoka shouted into her comlink as she ran through a series of makeshift cloth tunnels erected by an Imperial excavation crew.

"Was that supposed to be my job? Hold on a minute."

A LAAT gunship soared down alongside the tunnels, and Ahsoka ran out into the open air, leaping into the open cargo bay of the gunship, and it blasted off into the sky fast enough to send her flying backwards against the wall.

Making her way to the secondary cockpit, Ahsoka grumbled to herself. "You were supposed to be waiting at the rendezvous site."

Barriss looked back at her from the primary cockpit. "I can hear you, and I did think about that, but then I realized the Empire might frown on a Republic gunship sitting around at their landing site, so I improvised. Also, you know it's not particularly easy flying one of these things solo, right?"

"Padmé offered to send another pilot with us, but you said, and I quote, 'I don't play well with others.'"

"You should take that as a compliment, Ahsoka. It means I play well with you!"

The moon was poorly defended, with no Star Destroyers or other ships nearby, and they were able to fly to the hangar of the cargo transport they had arrived in, blasting to lightspeed before Imperial reinforcements could arrive.

* * *

_Two years._

It had been _two years_.

Two years since the Republic collapsed and the Empire rose. Two years since the Jedi Order was nearly eradicated overnight.

Two years since Anakin left.

In the first few weeks, Ahsoka had assumed he'd be back soon, that he left on some secret mission to infiltrate the Emperor's palace, or to find a powerful weapon. That was what she told herself, and what she told Padmé.

But as the weeks turned to months, the lying to herself became harder.

Now Ahsoka focused her time and energy on the Rebellion's reconnaissance missions, throwing herself into every possible lead on new ships or technology or recruits, every advantage they could potentially get against the Empire's overwhelming force. But today's mission had intersected with Anakin's disappearance in a way she couldn't resist looking into.

The transport landed at the makeshift Rebel base on Dantooine, their third base of operations in six months. Padmé's leadership had been effective at bringing together disparate cells of guerilla fighters into something resembling a real military. Other senators, like Bail Organa and Mon Mothma, had abandoned the Empire to assist with organizing and leading the Rebellion. Unfortunately, Jedi survivors were few and far between. Only Obi-Wan, Mace Windu, and Yoda were known to have survived; they would occasionally hear rumors of other survivors, but they could never locate them in time before the Emperor's Inquisitors got to them first.

Ahsoka ran off the gunship and through the hangars and hallways, carrying a black box, until she found the room she was looking for. Like all the rooms in the base, it was carved from the cavern walls. Barging in, she threw the box down in front of the room's only occupant.

"I got it. The codex."

The tall man, completely bald and wearing a musty old jacket, leaned in to examine the box.

"Ahsoka, this is _exactly_ what I had hoped you'd find!" He produced a small spherical object, holes covering its surface. "When placed against the map, and if the rings are adjusted in just the right fashion, we can… yes, we _should_ be able to read the missing part of the map!"

Ahsoka looked at the holographic map layout on the table. "And if we find the missing part of the map…"

"We will, most likely, find Master Skywalker!"

"This wasn't easy to get my hands on. That moon you pointed me to? The Empire was there first."

"That's unfortunate. It means the Empire is looking for Jedi relics too. I'll need some time to decipher this, if that's all right."

Ahsoka nodded. "Keep at it, Doctor Aphra. Your work is invaluable to our Rebellion… and to me."

He smiled. "And it's invaluable to the study of the ancient Jedi! Which… I realize is not a priority right now. I'll get to back to work."

Ahsoka left him behind as he swooned over the device she had uncovered. Korin Aphra was a Jedi historian and archaeologist who had been recruited by Obi-Wan during a mission three months ago. His expertise in ancient Jedi temples and relics was invaluable to the goal Ahsoka had been quietly pursuing for two years: filling in the missing portion of a map Anakin Skywalker deleted from the Jedi Temple.

In the weeks after Anakin's departure, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka infiltrated the Temple Archives, with Rex's help, to copy and recover as many Jedi texts as they could. While analyzing recently modified files in hopes of finding things the Emperor might be interested in, they discovered that a map of an area in the Unknown Regions had been deleted by Anakin two days after he left Polis Massa.

Ahsoka found herself wandering to the main command room, where crates of equipment were still being unboxed. Padmé was standing at a holographic array, reading incoming data on Imperial troop movements.

"I have good news," Ahsoka said, trying to keep her voice down. "We're one step closer to decoding the map."

Padmé rubbed her brow. "Ahsoka…"

"I know. You're dealing with a lot. But I'm confident that we're close to finding him."

"And what if he doesn't _want_ to be found? He ran off without us, Ahsoka."

Ahsoka left Padmé's side and moved to the other end of the holographic table. "We've had this conversation before, Padmé. He left to find something, or find himself, after everything that happened --"

"And leave Luke and Leia? Me, you, Obi-Wan? We've needed him every day for the past two years."

Ahsoka never knew what to say when Padmé brought that up. As much as she wanted to believe in Anakin, he _had_ left them, and left his newborn children, for reasons unknown.

Padmé snapped Ahsoka out of her reverie. "Speaking of Obi-Wan, he's back. Hangar two."

"I'll go say hello." Ahsoka said, suddenly happy to have an excuse to leave this conversation.

She went down the hall to the secondary hangar, where a Jedi starfighter was being refueled. Obi-Wan was standing next to it, speaking to Rex.

"How did it go?" she asked as she approached. Rex gave her a pat on the shoulder.

"We managed to get the locations of three bases on Telos," Obi-Wan said.

"I managed to find something too," Ahsoka replied. "Something that we've been looking for."

Obi-Wan stroked his beard. "You're still on that map, are you?"

The pair began walking through the hangar. Ahsoka kept her voice quiet, even though they weren't discussing anything secret. "That map is our key to finding Anakin."

"Ahsoka, you have no idea if that map has anything to do with Anakin's whereabouts. We've been over this --"

"How often did you see Anakin in the Archives?" she snapped. "He wasn't exactly a model student, was he? Why would he go there? Why would he go there when it was _occupied by the Empire_? There was something there he wanted, and he didn't want anyone to follow him."

Obi-Wan shrugged. "I would like to find Anakin too, Ahsoka. But we have other concerns we need to deal with. I'll fill you on what I found at the briefing."

Ahsoka wandered the halls after that, killing time until the briefing. She couldn't find Barriss, but she never attended briefings anyway. Barriss wasn't even officially a member of the Rebellion, but they kept her around because they needed all the allies they could get, and because she'd proven herself on a variety of operations. But few had forgotten what she had done, and Ahsoka herself found their interactions frustrating as often as she enjoyed them. Every now and then, a glimpse of the old Barriss filtered through.

There wasn't a day that had gone by where Ahsoka hadn't thought of trying to find Anakin, but it increasingly felt like no one else cared. Even Padmé had thrown herself into her role as a leader for the Rebellion. Ahsoka found herself at the nursery, where Padmé had left the babies with a medical droid, something she did frequently as she was too busy to care for them during the day. Entering the room, she smiled when she heard the familiar shout of " _Soka!_ "

"Hello Luke," Ahsoka said, picking him up from the crib. Leia was in the arms of the medical droid; she was typically quieter, and took longer to warm up to Ahsoka whenever she came in. She rubbed Luke's tummy, and he giggled. Ahsoka always enjoyed spending time with the twins, even though it made her angry inside to know their father was missing out on their growing up. When they were born, Ahsoka had sworn herself a promise to protect them at all costs, for as long as it took for Anakin to come home.

Padmé's voice came over the base intercom system. "All squads, please report to the briefing room for an important announcement."

Ahsoka placed Luke back in the crib and waved to Leia. "I'll see you little ones later, all right?"

The briefing room was more of a cavern with light fixtures haphazardly placed around the space, illuminating a central holographic table. There were a handful of crates and barrels to use as seating, but most of the three dozen people in the room were standing. Padmé and Mon Mothma stood next to each other at the table.

"We appreciate everyone coming together today," Padmé began. "Thanks to Master Kenobi's reconnaissance, we've uncovered important evidence confirming our worst suspicions."

Mon Mothma motioned to an image of a man with sharp facial features, projected above the table. "As we feared, our attempts to escort Galen Erso off Coruscant were intercepted by Imperial spies. Erso has been remanded to an Imperial black site, and we are unable to ascertain his whereabouts."

A man near the front row raised his hand. "I don't mean to be rude, but why do we need this guy? He's a scientist, not a soldier."

"Dr. Erso informed our intelligence units of a massive Imperial construction project being built near Geonosis," Padmé explained. "We were able to independently confirm some details of his story, though the installation itself was gone by the time we reached the Geonosis system."

"We believe that whatever the Empire is constructing could potentially be a weapon of incredible power," Mon Mothma said. "Dr. Erso's research into kyber energy sources has been co-opted by Imperial scientists for purposes unknown. It is imperative that we locate him, and for that reason, Master Windu was dispatched earlier today to question a potential source."

Ahsoka had been following this story; as one of the aforementioned intelligence units, she had served as one of Galen Erso's liaisons with the Rebellion. She was unsure how their communications had been intercepted, but her mind was still distracted by thoughts of Anakin and the map.

"Unfortunately," Padmé said, "we believe that Dr. Erso's wife and daughter were taken with him. The Empire is likely using them to force his compliance."

Ahsoka closed her eyes. _Another family torn apart._

"Everyone, please remain on standby for further instructions." Mon Mothma raised her hands to the room. "I believe we are approaching a critical juncture in our fight against the Empire. May the Force be with you all."

Ahsoka returned to her room, a small area with two cots, one for Barriss on the rare occasion she decided to stick around instead of sleeping on a cargo ship or a back alley somewhere. Ahsoka's efforts to try and bond with her had been largely unsuccessful, as Barriss was still closed off emotionally even as she had spent the last two years helping the Rebellion with odd jobs and had even helped save lives.

Ahsoka sat cross-legged on her cot, closed her eyes, and began to inhale and exhale slowly. She reached out into the Force, as she had every night for two years, pleading with the empty void, hoping that the Daughter would return and tell her what to do, and every night she met the same result. No one was coming; no one was going to save them.

_Anakin._

_I know you're out there._

_Please… give me a sign. That's all I ask._

_Give me a sign._

Her door slammed open, and Ahsoka spun in an instant, her fists at the ready, to see --

"Doctor Aphra?" Ahsoka relaxed herself.

A smile was on the doctor's face as he held up a data disk. "I've done it, Ahsoka. I've uncovered the missing portion of the map, cross-referenced it with ancient records… and I think I know exactly where Master Skywalker has gone."

Ahsoka's heart was pounding in her chest. "Where? Where did he go?"

Aphra handed her the disk.

"Have you ever heard of a planet called Ahch-To?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking around through the hiatus! I'll try to resume regular updates from here on out.


	11. Ahch-To

Ahsoka sat on a bench, looking at the large holographic map before her. A region of space was highlighted, and Korin Aphra was using a pointer to gesture at it.

"I present to you… Ahch-To!"

"It looks like some dots on a space map," Ahsoka said.

"Well, yes. The map doesn't have much detail. But it is clear on the location of the planet. Ahch-To, the legendary birthplace of the Jedi!"

"And you think Anakin went there?" Padmé was standing in the doorway next to Ahsoka, her arms crossed.

"I would say it is a safe bet. Master Skywalker deleted these records from the Temple's most secure archives."

Ahsoka got up and examined the map closer. "Why do you think he would go to Ahch-To? Is there something he might be looking for?"

"There are legends of massive Jedi Temples dotting Ahch-To's landscape. Libraries, stretching as far as the eye can see, containing ancient texts of Jedi wisdom. It would be the archaeological find of the millennium!"

Ahsoka rolled her eyes, and Aphra quickly added "Well, and finding Master Skywalker would be important too."

"Thank you, doctor. Can General Amidala and I have the room?"

He left, and the two women didn't speak for a minute. Ahsoka was waiting for Padmé's reaction, but she was just staring at the map.

"I'm going, right now," Ahsoka finally said. "I'll get a ship together, grab Barriss if I can find her, and then the three of us can head out within the hour --"

"I'm not going."

"What? Padmé, Anakin is there, I'm sure of it --"

Padmé still refused eye contact. "I have a war to fight, Ahsoka. I have intelligence operations to run, and a galaxy to worry about. Anakin made his choice."

Finally, she turned back to Ahsoka. "If you can find him and bring him back… we can discuss the next steps. But until then, I have bigger problems to deal with."

Then she walked past Ahsoka and through the doorway, but paused, like she was waiting for Ahsoka to say something in response.

She didn't. Ahsoka knew it wasn't her place to question what Padmé was feeling right now, and her mind was still racing at the thought of finally finding Anakin, so she let Padmé leave and made to move down the hallway towards the hangar, when she heard:

"Good luck, Ahsoka."

Ahsoka turned back to Padmé and nodded. "I will find him, Padmé. I'm bringing him home."

* * *

Ahch-To was in the Unknown Regions, a vast expanse on the edge of the known galaxy that was impossible to navigate without an accurate map. Countless ships had gone missing in its borders, and it was known to harbor all manner of dangers.

Luckily, Ahsoka was entering its treacherous waters with someone completely trustworthy.

"Do you think he'll try to kill me again?"

"What?" Ahsoka turned to look at Barriss from the console in the cockpit of their shuttle.

"Anakin. Do you think he'll try to kill me when we run into him? He tried to do it before."

"He tried to kill you because _you tried to kill me_. If you behave yourself, I'm sure you have nothing to worry about."

"He tried to kill _you_ too, you know."

"Barriss, why are you here?"

"You asked me to come along!"

"I asked you to come help me bring Anakin home, not throw his old mistakes back in my face. He's changed."

Barriss smirked. "Has he? How would you know?"

"I felt it, when he left Polis Massa. I know Anakin, and I know he would never let the dark side consume him again."

Barriss walked toward Ahsoka, and she found herself subconsciously stepping back, against the console.

"Do you know why I think you brought me with you? Because you know you'll need backup if he goes berserk on you."

Ahsoka's heart started racing a bit faster. "That's a lie. I would have brought Obi-Wan if I thought Anakin was dangerous." Of course, she _had_ asked Obi-Wan to come, but like Padmé, he had better things to do.

"Would you? Would you trust Obi-Wan to be able to hurt Anakin? I don't know. But I know you'd trust a rabid hound like me to do it."

Ahsoka let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "You're not a rabid hound, Barriss. I brought you along because I need someone I trust to have my back."

The truth was that Ahsoka wasn't exactly sure if she could trust Barriss -- after all, Barriss had almost gotten her executed three years earlier -- but she did find Barriss _predictable_ , which made her a better choice than some green soldier fresh out of the barracks she didn't know well.

"Oh, I didn't realize you trusted me!" Barriss exclaimed. "Well, this changes a lot. Does this mean I get to use a lightsaber again?"

Then she left the cockpit, and Ahsoka sensed something strange -- not anger, rage, or jealousy as she had once often felt from her former friend, but… happiness?

Ahsoka hadn't been fully honest when she said she trusted Barriss, but had the lie been enough to improve her mood like that?

_Maybe Barriss isn't beyond saving after all._

* * *

The shuttle spent the next few hours in hyperspace, carefully following the route Korin Aphra had plotted through the Unknown Regions, based on the map from the Temple. The trip was uneventful, and when the shuttle exited hyperspace, Ahsoka saw the planet for the first time.

It was almost entirely covered in water, and as they entered the atmosphere, she saw islands dotting the ocean.

"Do we know where we're going?" Barriss piped up as she entered the cockpit.

Ahsoka closed her eyes. The planet was strong in the Force; she could feel it instantly as they entered its orbit. Powerful signs of life emanated from every part of Ahch-To, from the oceans to the forested islands. But all of the planet's energy was coming from a central location: a single large island that the shuttle was now approaching.

"This has got to be it," Ahsoka said, feeling her heartbeat pick up. "This is the first Jedi Temple."

"Really? It looks like a fishing village." Barriss gestured to the huts along the cliff line of the island.

"There must be people living here. Let's land and ask around."

They left the shuttle on a small outcrop near the sea and made their way up a series of hundreds of small, ancient stone steps built into the cliffside. Ahsoka felt overwhelmed, for a moment, by the realization that these steps might predate the Jedi Order itself.

Along the staircase was a long, flat plain on which various stone huts were seated. Ahsoka and Barriss walked from hut to hut, peering in through wooden doors and flaps, but no one was around.

"People were definitely living here, recently," Barriss noted, poking at a firepit. It was cool to the touch, but the stone plates with rotting, half-eaten food indicated that someone had built it recently -- and abandoned it.

"Something isn't right," Ahsoka whispered, and she felt a tingle on the back of her neck.

"Maybe people were living here, and Anakin killed them all."

Ahsoka felt a quick surge of rage. "That's not funny, Barriss."

"I wasn't trying to be."

"Anakin was living here for two years, and he just decided to suddenly kill his neighbors?"

Barriss crossed her arms. "He suddenly tried to kill you."

"No, _you_ suddenly tried to kill me," Ahsoka snarled. "Anakin, I could feel his confusion and his rage for some time. It scared me, but it didn't surprise me. But _you_ … you came out of nowhere."

Barriss didn't reply. Ahsoka and Barriss had discussed this before, in the last two years, but something about this search for Anakin had brought out the catty, angry side of her, and Ahsoka didn't know why.

"What is it about Anakin that has you so _angry_? Just because he foiled your little plan?"  
"I don't care that he foiled my plan. I'm a good guy now, remember? What makes me angry is that you're so quick to _forgive_ him, when you can never forgive me."

Ahsoka paused for a moment.

"Barriss, is that… why do you think I freed you from that prison? I'm _trying_ to forgive you."

"Maybe you should have let me rot."

Ahsoka was about to respond when she heard the whistling noise and felt a disruption in the Force around her and suddenly her whole body was lunging forward, shoving Barriss aside, and she might have shouted something but it was obscured by the enormous, overwhelming noise of the explosion that sent them both flying.

She got her bearings quickly, ignoring the ringing in her head, and pulled Barriss to her feet, knowing the smoke around them was currently the only thing obscuring them from whoever had fired the rocket.

They ran behind one of the huts and paused, waiting for another noise.

A low rumble got louder and louder, and Ahsoka recognized it as the hovering noise of a skiff.

An _Imperial_ skiff.

There were life signs now, coming over the ridge, and Ahsoka began mentally calculating if she and Barriss could take them all on together.

"Stormtroopers," Barriss said, peeking from around the hut. "The Empire beat us here."

"I'm going to run out to the left and draw their attention." Ahsoka gestured to the blaster at Barriss' hip. "You provide cover, all right?"

Ahsoka waited until she could sense the skiff entering the small village, and then darted out from behind the hut. Before her was a sleek grey speeder with around a dozen stormtroopers, weapons drawn, surveying the town for signs of their prey. Every time Ahsoka saw their shining white armor, she hesitated for just a moment, knowing that beneath those helmets were identical faces she once considered friends.

But there was no time for hesitation now. She activated her blades, instantly catching their attention, and then ran for another hut, racing through the open air, deflecting some blaster shots and dodging others. As she ran for cover, she noticed Barriss wasn't shooting, or if she was, she wasn't hitting anything.

Suddenly, another whistle shrieked past her, and a rocket collided with the hut she was about to hide behind. Ahsoka managed to avoid being blown away, but she was now completely exposed.

That was when she saw a streak of green as a figure flipped over the skiff, slicing through its aft thrusters and sending it spiraling away to a hard landing nearby.

It was Barriss, and she was holding a --

"Is that a _lightsaber_?"

"Sorry! Did I forget to mention I built this? I figured it's always better to ask forgiveness than permission."

Ahsoka was both frustrated and relieved that Barriss had disobeyed her ban on using a lightsaber, because she'd need all the help she could get against the entire squad of Imperial troops that were now climbing from the damaged skiff and opening fire again.

As Ahsoka and Barriss deflected the shots, Ahsoka could see that the troopers were fanning out in formation, attempting to surround them. She turned, putting her back to Barriss, and deflected two shots into the heads of two corresponding stormtroopers. Having created an opening, she ran forward and sliced through a soldier's blaster before cutting through his stomach, sending him crumpling to the floor.

Ahsoka tried to push away the guilt she always felt when killing stormtroopers and instead focus on surviving. Turning back to Barriss, she saw her friend -- _Wait, is Barriss my friend?_ \-- had run straight into a gaggle of troopers, spinning her blade in a circular motion and cutting through three soldiers at once. She felt some concern seeing the savagery in Barriss' movements, but Ahsoka didn't feel the dark side coming from her, so she put the thought aside.

Within a minute of the fight breaking out, everything had suddenly fallen silent.

"Is that all of them?" Barriss said, sounding somewhat disappointed. "Did they send just one squad?"

_"No, former Jedi. No, they did not."_

Ahsoka recognized the voice, filtered through some sort of modulator, and then a distinctive set of heavy, mechanical footsteps.

Out from behind one of the huts came a tall, dark figure, dressed in jet-black armor with a ridged, slanted helmet on his head. The distinctive circular lightsaber hilt of an Inquisitor was at his hip, and when the face shield of the mask opened, she saw a black and red face with glowing yellow eyes.

"Maul."

"I am the Third Brother now, padawan Tano."

"I was wondering what happened to you."

"Were you? Because you left me in that dungeon to rot. You _knew_ what happened to me."

Despite everything that Maul had done, Ahsoka felt a pang of guilt.

"She rescued _me_ , though," Barriss laughed. "I guess because I'm prettier than you are."

Maul sneered. "It matters not. I will kill both of you, here, and bestow your severed heads to the Emperor as a trophy."

"The Emperor?" Ahsoka was confused. "Maul, Palpatine tortured you and wanted you dead. Why would you do his bidding again?"

"As an Inquisitor, it is my sole mission to bring the Emperor's glory to the entire galaxy."

"Isn't it obvious?" Barriss said. "He's been brainwashed."

Maul ignored her. "But before I end your pitiful lives, I will ensure that you give me the answer I have been seeking for weeks. Where, on this disgusting mausoleum of the Jedi, is Anakin Skywalker?"

"I'll die before I tell you," Ahsoka said, hoping Maul wouldn't realize she didn't know either.

Maul laughed and pulled the circular handle from his waist. "I hadn't planned on your cooperation."

Ahsoka and Barriss held their blades in a ready stance, and Maul ignited the two crimson ends of his lightsaber.

Then, right as Maul was about to lunge, Ahsoka felt as if time was slowing down, and she could sense the air suddenly taking on a crackling sensation, and then Maul's eyes widened and he flipped to the side just as a massive bolt of lightning struck the ground where he had been standing.

Behind him, at the entrance to the village, was a cloaked figure.

Slowly, he walked forward, through the smoke and flames, and he raised a gloved hand to pull back his hood to reveal a youthful face, one marked by a scar across his eye and a short-cut beard along his jawline, giving him the appearance of a wisdom beyond his years.

Ahsoka's face broke into a smile.

"I won't hide from you any longer." Anakin drew his blade and held it steady.

"If you want me, come and get me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hadn't planned on this chapter taking so long, but I ran into writer's block planning out how events would unfold and how to pace them. Hopefully I can get back on track with quicker updates.


	12. The Return

Maul was standing in the center of the village, Anakin to one side, Ahsoka and Barriss to the other.

"You're surrounded. Surrender and you will be treated fairly," Ahsoka declared.

"Fair? Should I expect to be sent to another solitary confinement cell for the rest of my days?" Maul gave a harsh laugh. "I think not, padawan Tano."

"She gave you a fair chance. I won't." Then Anakin lunged, and Maul turned his back to the pair and swung his lightsaber to deflect Anakin's blow. Ahsoka and Barriss ran forward, forcing Maul to divide his attention between three distinct attackers from all sides.

Maul ducked beneath one of Anakin's swings and spun around to get behind him, putting all three of his foes in front instead of around him. His blade began spinning rapidly around its central axis, allowing him to more quickly block the incoming swings. As he moved backwards, pushed away from the village, the combatants found themselves moving back up the steep set of stone steps.

Maul managed to get a quick opening and thrust out his right hand, catching Anakin off-guard and throwing him back. He slipped and tumbled down the flight of stairs, and Ahsoka called his name, but could sense he was okay and put her attention back into the fight.

At the top of the ancient staircase was a plateau looking out over the ocean surrounding the small island. Maul twirled his blade and nearly took Barriss' arm off, forcing her to take a step back, and then swung his foot up, connecting with her face and knocking her flat. Ahsoka took this for an opening and went for his mechanical legs, but he was fast, and he spun around and almost hit her in the face with the spinning blade, sending her back near the edge of the cliff.

Maul pounced, and she felt that relentless fury that he had thrown at her two years earlier, but this time it was more refined, less animalistic; no doubt the product of the brainwashing that had turned him into a neutered servant of the Emperor instead of the mad beast he had been before.

She would almost feel sorry for him if he weren't trying to kill her right now.

Ahsoka was nearly backed all the way to the edge of the cliff, and it was taking all her concentration to avoid slipping to a watery grave, much less fend off Maul at the same time. Their blades were locked together, and as Ahsoka tried to break the stalemate, Maul activated the spinning apparatus again, and Ahsoka nearly lost her hands, being forced to drop her lightsabers in the process of avoiding the attack.

Now unarmed, Ahsoka was about to raise her hand to call her weapons back to her when Maul held the blade at her throat.

"I want to savor this for just a moment," he growled. Then -- "The moment has passed. Goodbye, padawan Tano."

Right as he swung the blade, Ahsoka heard a shout and suddenly Maul was on the ground with Barriss on top of him, and Ahsoka heard her shriek and roll away to the side, a bright orange burn mark slashed across her chest. Ahsoka yelled her name and called a lightsaber back to her, slamming it down on Maul's blade as he swung it toward Barriss.

Ahsoka backed up as Maul attacked again, but he suddenly turned in time to block a blow from Anakin, who had arrived at the top of the mountain. Maul flipped to the side to avoid being cornered again and swung his blade up at Ahsoka's face. She managed to block it, but Maul swung his fist and she suddenly felt searing pain across her jaw, and she staggered away again.

Maul let out a roar of rage, and in that split second Ahsoka saw his old personality, and as he swung the spinning circular blade towards her again, there was a loud _hisssss_ and he suddenly tumbled to the ground.

His legs had been severed near the knees, and he was now laying helplessly on the grassy plateau, his lightsaber a few feet away. Anakin was standing over him, holding his blade to Maul's back as he tried to pull himself towards the weapon.

"You're done, Maul. Surrender."

"I will _never_ surrender to disgusting Jedi slime. Kill me! _Kill me!_ "

Anakin shrugged and said "Suit yourself," and for a second as he raised his blade Ahsoka thought he was actually going to strike Maul down, but instead he was merely moving the weapon out of the way of his leg as he swung it forward and kicked Maul so hard in the face that he was instantly rendered unconscious.

"I have some binders on the ship, I think," Ahsoka said, and then she dropped to Barriss' side. "Are you okay?"

Barriss winced as Ahsoka helped pull her to her feet. "I think I'll live. He only grazed me."

Then there was nothing else to distract her, and Ahsoka was left staring at Anakin as he looked back at her, the waves and wind from the sea crashing all around them.

"Barriss, could you, uh… get the binders from the ship for our captive here?"

Barriss shrugged. "Sure. I don't want to be part of the reunion anyway. Have fun and try not to kill each other."

Ahsoka just looked at Anakin again as Barriss left, who looked back at her briefly before averting his gaze, playing it off like the high winds were whipping his hair in his face. Finally, Ahsoka broke the silence.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too, Ahsoka. These Imperials, they showed up in force last week, slaughtered the natives before I had time to do anything. I hid in the cave system while I tried to think up a strategy. They destroyed my ship. Most of them left yesterday when Maul and his team arrived, so I was planning to --"

Ahsoka ran forward while he was speaking and hugged him, wanting to feel the safety of her oldest friend, but then she shoved him, and the words started spilling out of her mouth.

"Where have you been? It's been two years? What are you doing? You just left, you didn't even tell Padmé, you just left and you've been sitting here for two years? What are you doing? _What are you doing?_ "

Her words trailed off and she felt hot tears forming in her eyes, which left her both angry and embarrassed, and Anakin looked at the ground instead of her face.

"I'm sorry, Ahsoka. I don't know how I can say --"

"You don't need to apologize to me. It's Padmé and Luke and Leia that needed you."

"Ahsoka, I wasn't in the right place… I couldn't be the person they needed me to be."

"You absolutely could --"

"Ahsoka, I _tried to kill you!_ Palpatine had twisted my mind, he left me feeling so cold and angry and filled with hate that I couldn't even see straight --"

"And has two years of isolation changed that? Did cutting yourself off from everyone change that? Are you fixed now?"

Anakin turned away and looked out over the ocean. "I had learned about Ahch-To in my studies of the Temple's most heavily-guarded tomes, after they rejected my desire to be a Master. I knew I was lacking as a Jedi, and after… what happened, I went back to the Temple and accessed the data. I had only intended to stay a few days."

"So what happened?"

"This place is amazing, Ahsoka. You can feel it, right? The Force is everywhere here, in every rock and plant and wave from the ocean. For the first time, I was able to really know myself, and where I went wrong as a person and a Jedi."

"So you stayed for two years?"

"I lost track of time, but I didn't lose track of you or Padmé. Or the kids." He smiled. "I could feel them in the Force. It was like I was watching over them."

"That's not the same as being there," Ahsoka retorted.

"No, it isn't. But I'm ready to come back now. This place is lost to the Empire, but the Force itself cannot be controlled, no matter how badly Palpatine might want it."

Barriss returned with the binders and slapped them over Maul's wrists. "Am I going to have to drag this guy down the stairs?"

Anakin slung Maul's unconscious form over his shoulders and whispered to Ahsoka. "Why did you bring her?"

"I'm injured, not deaf," Barriss snapped.

They made their way down the ancient steps back to the ship. Ahsoka looked back at the village. Anakin spoke up softly behind her.

"When the Empire is gone, we can return. There's so much here that I want to show you."

She sensed a serenity coming from him that she hadn't felt since… ever? Anakin had always been tense and tightly wound, even when he seemed to be relaxing. But now she felt a more peaceful energy, despite the battle they had just endured. Maybe this isolation _had_ been good for him?

* * *

The ride back to Dantooine was uneventful. Ahsoka filled Anakin in on everything that had happened in the burgeoning rebellion against the Empire; only after an hour did she realize much of the information she told him was classified and he technically wasn't cleared to hear it, but she didn't care.

When the ship landed at the base, Ahsoka finally felt Anakin's heart rate increase. Fighting Maul hadn't made him break a sweat, but confronting his old friends -- and his wife -- for the first time in two years had done it.

The ramp extended, and Ahsoka stepped out first. Obi-Wan was waiting for her, his arms crossed.

"Ahsoka, we received your transmission. We have a holding cell set up for Maul; excellent work on…"

His voice trailed off, and Ahsoka knew it was because Anakin was coming down the ramp behind her.

"Hey, Obi-Wan."

"Anakin. Welcome back." Obi-Wan's voice was steady, but Ahsoka detected surprise and confusion beneath the surface.

There was a long awkward silence, and then Obi-Wan approached the ramp and gave Anakin a handshake. "I'm glad to have you here, my friend."

Then he walked past Anakin onto the ship, saying something about helping Barriss with Maul.

"This is going to be rough," Anakin mumbled.

"Don't worry about it. Let's go find Padmé."

As they walked down the halls, soldiers and technicians ran past, none of them recognizing the bearded man in the robe that had once been the most legendary Jedi in the galaxy.

Ahsoka led Anakin to the command room, where Padmé was still staring over holograms and readouts as if she hadn't moved at all since Ahsoka left two days ago.

Padmé looked up from the holographic display and froze. Anakin looked back at her and slowly raised his hand in a _hello_ gesture. Padmé walked around the display table and Ahsoka stepped aside.

"Anakin?"

"Padmé, I…"

Padmé's face contorted into five different emotions at once, and then she threw her arms around Anakin and pulled him close.

Ahsoka was about to leave and give them some space when she heard --

"Daddy?"

Anakin and Padmé broke away from each other and turned to see Luke and Leia standing at the entrance, behind Ahsoka. It was Luke who had spoken, but then Leia chimed in with her own "Daddy!" and ran forward on her stubby little legs, hugging one of Anakin's legs, with Luke right behind her, grabbing the other.

Ahsoka and Padmé just stared as a confused Anakin leaned down and embraced both children.

"How do they…?" Padmé said, and Ahsoka put her hand on Padmé's shoulder and said "They know. They can feel him… just like he could feel them."

Anakin was now on the ground, pulling the kids on top of him, and it looked to anyone like a father coming home from work, not a man who had never seen his two children since the day they had been born, and Ahsoka felt overwhelmed with the emotion and wanted to leave to give them time alone, but Padmé pulled her into a hug and whispered _"Thank you"_ into her ear.

Ahsoka spent another few minutes in the room with the reunited family before returning to her quarters, where she found Barriss sitting on the floor, meditating.

"How are you feeling? In all the commotion with Anakin I…"

"Kind of forgot about me?" Barriss laughed. "It's okay. I'm used to it."  
"I've never forgotten about you, Barriss." Ahsoka sat down next to her. "You almost got yourself killed today."

"I was raised as a Jedi and I'm part of some suicidal rebellion against the Empire. Almost getting myself killed is a daily occurrence."

"Yeah, but almost dying for _me_?"

"Don't get sappy over it," she laughed again.

"It was kind of like old times, is all I'm saying."

She gently placed her hand over one of Barriss's, and then got up, feeling a bit embarrassed for herself, and she told Barriss she was going to go check on Obi-Wan and would leave her to her meditating.

She found Obi-Wan outside, sitting on a terrace overlooking a starship repair yard, with a familiar face she hadn't seen in some time.

"Ahsoka. Glad to see you, I am."

"Master Yoda! How did your trip go?"

"Located the Empire's new battle station construction site, I have. Still questioning sources, Master Windu is."

"We'll fill everyone in at a briefing later," Obi-Wan added.

"Located young Skywalker, you have?"

Ahsoka nodded and looked to Obi-Wan. "He's doing well. He's with Padmé and the kids."

Obi-Wan averted his gaze. There was grey at the ends of his hair, and he seemed like he'd aged a decade in the two years since the Republic fell. "I've been putting off talking with him. I'm… unsure if we can trust him."  
"Sense little fear or anger in him, I do," Yoda said, and Ahsoka was impressed that Yoda's incredible power allowed him to feel Anakin's thoughts from the other end of the compound.

"So we let him back into the inner circle? Just like that?" Obi-Wan sounded annoyed.

"Obi-Wan, he was your closest friend --"

"He was. He still is… I think. But what happened happened, and we cannot just forget that."

"He's a different person now. Ahch-To changed him, I can feel it."

Yoda nodded with a grunt. "Indeed. Powerful in the force, Ahch-To is. Had the pleasure to visit it once before, I did."

"It's still mostly okay, but the Empire is occupying it now."

"Occupy the planet, the Empire can. Occupy the Force, destroy its power, they cannot." Ahsoka felt good to know Yoda had the same perspective Anakin did. It was proof, she felt, of how he had changed and matured.

Yoda got up from the stool he was sitting on and began making his way back toward the compound.

"Prepare, I must. Being formed, the plans are."

"The plans for what?" Ahsoka asked.

Yoda gave her a coy smile.

"In the coming days, attacking the Death Star, we are."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've given up on the assumption that I can get chapters out faster, so this is probably my new pace. We're starting to get closer to the end, and I have a few more chapters planned, maybe 4-5. Thanks again to everyone reading, kudos-ing, and commenting!


	13. Stardust

The so-called "Death Star" didn't look all that scary.

Projected above the command room table was a holographic sphere, faceless and indistinct save for a circular indentation in its northern hemisphere.

"Our access to Dr. Erso's files indicate this is what the station is intended to look like when finished," Mon Mothma explained to the assembled forces in the room. "However, it is currently in an incomplete state. Its central superlaser remains unfinished, but with his family held hostage by the Empire, Dr. Erso has no incentive not to cooperate."

"So we hit it before it's finished," one of the pilots said. "Do we know where it's being built? We can send a team --"

"It's not that simple," Padmé spoke up. "The station's primary weapon, when completed…"

There was a pause, and Ahsoka looked from Mon Mothma to Padmé, confused. Then Mon Mothma spoke.

"The station is designed to be a planet-killer. When fired, it can destroy an entire world in seconds."

Obi-Wan stepped forward to examine the hologram. "How can we be sure this isn't merely Imperial propaganda? Destroying an entire planet seems… unrealistic to say the least."

"Dr. Erso told us this himself, before the Empire abducted him," Padmé said. "And… there is something else."

Anakin stepped out of the shadows behind her, and some whispers went around the room as he cleared his throat. "I have seen it, in a vision, when I was on Ahch-To. Planets turned to dust, civilizations leveled… millions of voices crying out, and being suddenly silenced."

"Then how do we stop it?" Ahsoka asked. "There must be a way."

"Designed the weapon, Dr. Erso did. Know how to disable it, he may." Yoda was sitting on a crate to give him enough height to address the room.

"We believe we know where he is being held," Padmé said. "Master Windu questioned several Imperial operatives and determined that Dr. Erso and his family are being held at a facility on Eadu. He has requested that a team accompany him in infiltrating the facility so that we can rescue the doctor and his family."

"I'm going," Ahsoka said, before anyone else could do so.

"Only two or three should be needed," Padmé added. "This is an infiltration, not a battle."

"If you're going, you'll need someone to look after you," Barriss piped up. "Not that it'll be me, of course. But I'd like to watch if you get yourself killed."

Ahsoka gave her a smile. It wasn't normal for Barriss to attend these meetings. _Why is she here, I wonder?_

"I think that should do it, then," Padmé said with a nod. "I'll get you the information Master Windu was able to gather --"

Anakin coughed. "Actually… I'd like to go too."

Padmé closed her eyes and turned to him. She didn't say anything, but the look on her face did. Mon Mothma adjourned the meeting, and Ahsoka decided to wait for Anakin, but he and Padmé must have left through another exit, because she didn't see them.

After grabbing some rations and loading up her bag, she went back to the hangar and found Anakin tinkering with the hyperdrive on a LAAT gunship.

"If you overload the left and right stabilizers, you can get a significant power boost," Anakin was explaining to someone. "But you burn it out a lot faster."

"So you should really only do that if you need to make a quick escape," said the voice of a small girl. She popped out from under one of the maintenance flaps, grease covering her face.

"Yep. I've used that technique to quite a bit of success over the years." Anakin noticed Ahsoka approaching. "Why don't you run back to your dad, all right?"

"Tell me next time you're gonna mess around with the ships!"

Anakin laughed. "Agreed."

The girl ran off, and Ahsoka sat next to Anakin inside the gunship. "Was that Dr. Aphra's kid?"

"Yeah. She's got a real aptitude for this stuff."

Ahsoka rubbed his shoulder. "What did Padmé say?"

"The facility is heavily guarded, but the Empire believes it's a complete secret, so with the proper disguises and clearance codes we should --"

"That's not what I mean. What did she say when you volunteered to come along?"

Anakin let out a sigh. "I spent the last two years away, and now I'm volunteering to leave again. She wants me to stay."

"Padmé and the kids need you," Ahsoka said, her voice soft. "You don't need to come with me on this one."

"You're heading into one of the most secure Imperial facilities outside Coruscant. I can't let you do that alone."

"I'm not alone. I'll have Barriss."

"Ahsoka, the Empire doesn't exactly have a lot of non-humans. How are you and Barriss going to infiltrate? It was supposed to be me and Master Windu, with you two providing support."

"I already have a plan for that," Ahsoka said. "You can sit this one out."

"I've been sitting out for _two years_ , Ahsoka."

"The war against the Empire will still be going on tomorrow and the day after that. But Luke and Leia need you _now_ , and every day you spend with them counts."

Ahsoka stood up. "I know you're dying to get back out there, but the opportunity will come. Let Barriss and I handle this."

Anakin nodded slowly. "I understand." He got up and began to walk away, then turned back to Ahsoka. "You've grown so much since I first met you, Ahsoka. I owe you more than I can say, and you've taught me so much. I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me."

"You're here now. That's all that matters. And you were my teacher first."

* * *

Eadu was a dark, rocky planet covered in perpetual storms, making incoming and outgoing transmissions difficult. The planet was officially classified as a mining and chemical research world, but interrogation of high-ranking Imperial captives had allowed the Rebellion to deduce its true purpose as a kyber crystal research station dedicated to developing a superweapon for the Death Star project.

A stealth dropship deposited Ahsoka and Barriss in a canyon several miles from an energy conversion plant, the facility where Dr. Galen Erso was reportedly being held. They had sent several coded transmissions to Mace Windu's frequency, but he didn't respond. The dropship would return in twelve hours -- any sooner risked pinging Imperial sensors -- but they were hoping to commandeer something from the facility to escape sooner. As they made their way through the canyon, they spotted Mace Windu himself, wearing the white armor of a clone trooper. At his side was a familiar face.

"Rex!" Ahsoka shouted, before immediately remembering to keep her voice down. "I had no idea you would be here!"

"I was on another assignment and preparing to return to base when General Amidala contacted me to tell me you and Barriss were headed to Eadu, and I volunteered to provide some assistance. Apparently you could use another human on this mission."

"We could. And Master Windu, it's good to see you too," Ahsoka said. "We were worried something happened to you."

"I wasn't," Barriss added.

"I've been undercover for the last three days," Mace said, gesturing to the armor. "We're lucky the Empire has begun phasing out clones and using standard human recruits, or this sort of infiltration would be a lot harder."

"What do you know about the facility?"

"It's dedicated to weaponizing kyber crystals, operated by Orson Krennic, a former member of the Republic Special Weapons Group," Mace explained. "He has been spearheading the Death Star project since the Clone Wars -- a project, I should note, the Jedi were not aware of."  
"I hear General Skywalker is back," Rex said, his face glowing with happiness.

"He is," Ahsoka replied. "He's going to be so excited to see you."

"That's a matter we can discuss later." Mace's voice was dark; he clearly did not trust the idea of Anakin being around.

Ahsoka changed the subject. "All right. Are we ready to do this?"

* * *

Mace Windu, in full clone trooper armor and accompanied by Rex at his side, walked up the long flight of stairs leading to the docking bay entrance of the facility. In cuffs before them were Ahsoka and Barriss, dressed in the dull grey cloaks and garb of a Rebel soldier.

"What's this?" a stormtrooper near the entrance asked as they approached.

"We found these two sneaking around the eastern radar dish," Rex explained. "We need to interrogate them, find out if they were snooping on transmissions."

The trooper nodded and waved them through.

"This feels a bit too easy," Ahsoka whispered.

The interior of the facility was clean, sterile, and white, like a Republic medical frigate. Equally pristine stormtroopers marched up and down the halls, while scientists walked between offices, carrying datapads.

"Dr. Erso is in the central processing lab," Mace muttered to Ahsoka, just loud enough for her to hear. "But I don't have access, and neither does Rex. We'll have to get inventive."

They entered a turbolift and went down to the sixth floor. Upon exiting, they found themselves in a large room with multiple other doors, leading to various facilities. One was conveniently labeled, in large glowing text, _CENTRAL PROCESSING_.

Mace discreetly swiped a datapad off a desk and then held it up as they approached the door. "I've got a data delivery for Dr. Erso," he said to the guard stationed nearby.

"Do you have clearance?"

"I must have dropped my code transmitter back at the dock. Can you escort me in? I've got multiple deliveries, it's easier if I get Dr. Erso to check the manifest here first."

The stormtrooper eyed the rest of the group. "What's with the prisoners?"

Mace leaned in close to the guard. "Test subjects. Kyber gas byproduct experiments. We're not supposed to talk about it."

The trooper nodded. "Understood. I'll escort you in."

He swiped a card to open the door, and they stepped into the lab, which was windowless and cold. As soon as the door closed behind them, Rex slammed his rifle against the stormtrooper's head, knocking him to the floor.

In the center of the room was its sole occupant, a tall, gaunt man who was hunched over a workstation. He stared up at them in confusion.

"Dr. Erso?" Mace said, removing his helmet. "I'm Master Windu of the Rebel Alliance. We've come to rescue you."

Galen Erso looked from Mace to Ahsoka and back again. "I… I can't leave. My wife, my daughter, Krennic will kill them --"

"We're not leaving without your family, doctor," Ahsoka said. "Do you know where they're being held?"

"A detention block on the level below. But we'll never get out of here without Krennic catching us."

"I reserved a shuttle at the docking bay, fudged a few clearance codes," Rex said. "We just need to get to it and we're cleared to leave."

Mace informed the group of the new plan: he would escort Galen to the docking bay while Rex brought Ahsoka and Barriss to the holding cells. Then everyone would rendezvous at the shuttle.

Rex brought Ahsoka and Barriss to the detention floor, where they found that every cell in sight was empty. There was no log explaining which cell contained what prisoner, if any, so they had to walk between each cell in search of the Ersos. As they approached one of the cells, a man suddenly emerged from inside. He was wearing a grey and black officer's uniform and had close-cropped greying hair and a silver blaster at his hip.

After a moment of awkward silence, the man spoke, his voice a long drawl.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Prisoners for interrogation, Director Krennic," Rex said, his voice projecting authority.

"We are not in the business of taking prisoners, soldier. Not at this facility. Execute them, immediately."

"Sir, these prisoners were sabotaging the east radar dish. It's possible they picked up and relayed transmissions. We need to know what they heard."

Krennic let out an exaggerated sigh. "Fine. Make it quick, and then dispose of them."

As soon as Krennic was gone, Rex accessed the holding cell he had come out of. Inside was a middle-aged woman and a young girl, both dressed in dirty clothes that hadn't been changed in some time.

"Lyra Erso? We're here to help you and your husband." Ahsoka stepped forward and waved one of her manacled hands.

"By the Force… are you with the Rebellion?"

"We are. Stay close, and we'll be out of here soon."

Barriss piped up. "Uh, how are we supposed to explain that we have a three-year-old walking the halls with us?"

"I'm five," said the girl, Jyn.

Rex peered out into the hall and stepped away for a moment. When he returned, he was pushing a large steel crate.

"It's not ideal, but it's just for a few minutes," Ahsoka explained to the girl as she climbed inside.

They made their way back up the lift and were surprised that no one asked any questions about Lyra tagging along or the crate they were pushing. Everyone was so distracted with their work that they paid no attention to anything else.

As they made their way back to the docking bay, they saw Mace and Galen standing in the shadows near a shuttle, trying to keep out of sight of the various troopers and dock workers milling around. They began to cross the large hall towards the shuttle --

"Congratulations! You got so close. I'm impressed."

They froze and turned to see Krennic standing at the entrance to the docking bay, flanked by two dozen stormtroopers.

"You know, I was curious to see what you were up to. I figured this was an escape attempt, but the level of coordination on display here is… admirable. Fake hostages, an undercover clone, it's all quite elaborate." He gave them a devious smile.

"Please, Krennic. I finished the weapon," Galen said. "You don't need me anymore. Let us go."

Krennic gave him a wounded look. "Be careful, Galen. Don't say I don't need you anymore. I'm the only reason you're still alive! And I thought we were friends, too."

Ahsoka's eyes darted around the room, looking for a possible escape route or weapon. She had her lightsaber hidden on her person, and so did Barriss and Mace, but if the stormtroopers started shooting it was unlikely they'd be able to protect the unarmed Ersos.

Krennic spoke again and she realized he was looking at her. "Ahsoka Tano? That is you, isn't it?" He laughed. "I recognize your face from that trial, the Jedi Temple bombing? Tarkin had quite the egg on his face, I couldn't forget it."

"Let us go. This doesn't need to get violent." Ahsoka said the words, but she knew they were pointless.

"You're trying to abduct my good friend and his family, young lady," Krennic drawled. "You're not the one in a position to be making demands."

Ahsoka could sense Mace tensing up behind her, and she readied herself to grab her lightsaber, but then Barriss suddenly chimed in --

"You know what, actually, I'm the one in a position to make demands."

"Why is that? Because you blew up the Jedi Temple and framed your friend for it?" Krennic laughed. "You're so unimportant the Empire didn't even bother tracking you down after you escaped."

"No, it's because I called a wing of Mandalorian fighters that are going to light up this facility like a Life Day tree in about ten seconds."

_What?!_

Ahsoka turned to Barriss and was about to say something when an alarm klaxon sounded and --

An explosion rocked the hangar, followed by another; they were just outside the hangar doors, but getting closer. Knowing they had only minutes to react, Ahsoka whipped a lightsaber out from its hidden pocket and ignited it, while Mace did the same behind her. In any other context, a stormtrooper wielding a purple lightsaber would look quite humorous.

Krennic shouted something over the din, and the troopers began firing, but the smoke billowing into the hangar obscured everything, and Ahsoka grabbed Lyra Erso's arm with her free hand and guided her toward the shuttle. Barriss ran aboard with Galen, while Rex pushed the crate containing little Jyn.

Mace and Ahsoka were the last to board, and they could hear laser fire ratcheting the sides of the shuttle. Barriss jumped behind the controls before anyone could object and gunned the engines, blasting the craft straight out through the smoke and nearly ramming into one of the doors as it closed in front of them.

Ahsoka ran to the cockpit viewport while Rex took the gunner position, and she saw five sleek Mandalorian fighters twirling circles around the ARC-170s that had been dispatched to fend them off.

"This is Stardust Retrieval, flying a stolen shuttle, please do _not_ fire on us," Barriss said into the comm, and Ahsoka heard the recognizable voice of Bo-Katan Kryze in response.

"Copy Stardust Retrieval, we'll escort you to the jump. That's another one you guys owe us now."

"Well, if we don't blow up this Death Star thing there won't be a Mandalore to save, so consider us even."

Ahsoka grabbed the back of Barriss' seat as they blasted out of Eadu's atmosphere. "You called in the Mandalorians? This was supposed to be a covert mission!"

"Aren't you glad I never listen to you?"

"The Empire will know that the Rebellion has taken Erso now, and that we know of the weapon," Mace said. "Our window just got a lot more cramped."  
Ahsoka stepped back into the cargo hold, where Galen was holding Lyra and Jyn close.

"Dr. Erso, we're in dire need of your help," she began. "Using your information, we've learned as much about the Death Star project as we can, but we still don't know where it is or how to destroy it."

"I have some ideas on where they've moved the construction," Galen said, but then he cast his eyes to the floor. "But I can't help you destroy it."

"Why not? You were integral to designing the weapon, surely you know something?"

"I had hoped to engineer some kind of backdoor, a detonation system inside the weapon, but… the Empire accelerated the weapon design process after they took my family, and I didn't have time. If it isn't fully functional yet, it will be soon." He looked up at her again.

"I'm sorry. Short of a miracle… the Death Star is completely indestructible."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had the busiest couple weeks ever, so this took even longer than the last few...I'm hoping to get back on schedule for the last few chapters. Famous last words.


	14. The Plan

The return trip to Dantooine was a quiet one.

Ahsoka had pleaded with Dr. Erso, begged him for any information that might allow them to destroy the project before it could be completed, but he was adamant that not only was its superweapon nearly complete, but that there was no efficient way to destroy it -- or the station itself -- before it was operational.

Ahsoka wanted to deliver the unfortunate news to Padmé, but Master Windu called in ahead and informed her himself. When they descended the ramp of the shuttle and walked into the hangar, Padmé was waiting for them. She attempted to act optimistic, extending a warm welcome to the Ersos, but Ahsoka could sense her fear and concern.

In search of Anakin, Ahsoka found him in the desert fields behind the compound, throwing a ball around with Luke and Leia. Not wanting to interrupt, she watched for a few minutes until Anakin noticed her.

"We need to talk about the mission," Ahsoka said, trying to keep her voice positive around the kids.

But Anakin seemed at peace and unconcerned. "I already heard. Come play with us." He tossed her the ball.

"You're not… bothered? By what Dr. Erso told us?" Ahsoka tossed the ball past the kids, and Luke beat Leia to it, the two of them giggling as they toppled over each other on top of it.

"I'm not. I trust in the Force. I already know that we'll find a way to destroy the Death Star, so I'm not worried." Luke ran the ball back to his father, and Anakin levitated it in the air, slowly raising it just out of the kids' reach as they leaped up to try and grab it.

"This is a new side of you. The old Anakin would be rushing out in a fighter to blow the thing up himself."

Anakin laughed. "Oh, I absolutely will be doing that. We just need a plan first. Rex and some of the other generals are working on it right now. Dr. Erso's understanding of the schematics will be a big help."

Ahsoka looked up at the stars that were appearing against the backdrop of the setting sun.

"How did we get here? Two years ago, we thought the war was almost over, and that peace would be restored to the galaxy, and now we're on the verge of total annihilation. What happened?"

Anakin dropped the hovering ball into Leia's hands, and Luke struggled to pry it away. "I failed us. I allowed Palpatine to rise when I could have stopped him."

"You _cannot_ blame Palpatine on yourself, Anakin. He deceived everyone: the Senate, the Jedi. No one person is responsible for what he has done except Palpatine himself."

"I don't dwell on it," Anakin said. "I just focus on how we can fix it. And I know we can, and we will."

A familiar voice came from behind Ahsoka. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that Anakin is the optimistic one. I guess Ahch-To didn't change you that much after all."

It was Obi-Wan, and he walked over to Ahsoka's side.

"Would you have it any other way, master?" Anakin laughed.

"No, I suppose not. Your overconfidence being the death of me is something I made my peace with years ago." He smiled. "But… I will say it is reassuring that you are confident. Your absence these last few years has been…"

Obi-Wan was obviously struggling to remain professional while expressing his feelings, as was typical for him. Ahsoka patted his shoulder, and Anakin gave him a nod, to show he understood.

"I'm honored to be able to fight by your side again, Obi-Wan."

Ahsoka decided to leave them be, knowing there was much for the master and apprentice to discuss. She returned to her room and found Barriss gazing out the window at the yard where Anakin and Obi-Wan were playing with the children.

"You don't have to coop yourself up in here, you know. You can come out and say hi."

Barriss didn't look away from the window.

"I remember him. Anakin. In the arena on Geonosis. What felt like the first day of the rest of my life, at the time. He seemed so strong and confident, like he had it all figured out. I guess he didn't, because otherwise he wouldn't have been captured."

"What's this about, Barriss?"

Barriss kept talking as if Ahsoka hadn't said anything. "He fell so far. But he's climbing back out again."

"You can climb out too, Barriss. I think in a lot of ways, you already have."

"Anakin had something waiting for him on the other side. For me… the only thing I can hope for is that when I die, I've made up for the things I've done."

The next words left Ahsoka's mouth before she thought them through.

"I'm waiting for you on the other side, Barriss. I've never lost faith in you."

Barriss finally looked at Ahsoka instead of out the window, but she averted her eyes quickly. "Maybe you should, after all the pain I've caused."

"Having faith in someone doesn't mean anything if you abandon them at their lowest point. I won't abandon you, Barriss. And you don't need to die in some heroic sacrifice to make up for what you've done. I won't let you."

Barriss looked at her again, and her face screwed up in some strange way, and then suddenly she threw her arms around Ahsoka and started crying into her shoulder.

Ahsoka was taken aback by this bizarre outburst of emotion, and all she could do was hold her tight, and hope that this was finally the breakthrough Barriss had needed.

* * *

At some point they fell asleep, and when Ahsoka woke up the next morning Barriss was laying nearby, her eyes still closed. Ahsoka realized they must have fallen asleep together, and felt something between embarrassment and happiness, and it left her confused.

She decided to leave Barriss where she was, and head down to the mess hall. The Ersos were adjusting to the new environment; little Jyn had apparently made fast friends with Chelli Aphra, and they were running around the hall waving sticks at each other and making lightsaber noises.

Ahsoka found Anakin sitting at a table with Luke, eating breakfast.

"Where's Leia and Padmé?" Ahsoka asked as she sat down next to him.

"Leia's still sleeping. Threepio is watching her. Padmé is getting ready for this big meeting we're about to have, apparently. You guys have lots of meetings here, huh?"

"It's not your speed, I know," Ahsoka laughed.

"I think this is the big one. Dr. Erso spent all of yesterday with the big-wigs and generals. Whatever they've figured out, we'll hear about it in a few."

Ahsoka changed the subject then, because she suddenly had the distinct feeling that things were approaching their climax, and that no matter what happened in the coming days, she should cherish the quiet moments like this one.

When Padmé called the meeting, everyone filed into the room as they had so many times before, gathering around the holographic table yet again. But there was something in the air this time: everyone could tell that _this was it_. What "it" was, however, wasn't yet clear.

Padme cleared her throat and pulled up the holographic map of the Death Star.

"After extensive discussion, Dr. Erso has provided us with information that we believe could be of value to destroying the Empire's superweapon." She gestured to Erso, and he approached the table. He looked nervous to be speaking before such a large crowd.

"The Empire had multiple backup construction sites beyond Geonosis. I have provided those locations to General Amidala."

Padmé spoke. "We dispatched reconnaissance fighters to several of these locations and were able to confirm that the Death Star project has been moved into orbit above Crait, in the Outer Rim."

"So how do we blow it up?" Anakin asked. "There's always a way to do that."

Erso furrowed his brow. "The station is massive, the size of a small moon. You would need thousands of explosives and a small army to plant them at key structural points. It's not feasible." He paused. "No. The solution is simpler. The Death Star is equipped with an array of hyperdrives, the same as any ship."

He waited for a moment, and then said: "We take control of the station and fly it into a star."

Everyone was silent, waiting for some deeper explanation.

"I realize what you are thinking, and it is true. Like any hyperdrive, someone would need to manually enter the navigational coordinates and remain behind to activate the lightspeed jump. That person… would obviously not survive."

The silence was broken by a flurry of mumbling and whispered discussion. Padmé called the room to order.

"This is merely a single plan we have proposed so far. We are still examining all possibilities. We would never ask any person to give their life."

Mace Windu raised his hand and spoke. "Respectfully, General Amidala, I believe that any person here would gladly do so if it meant sparing trillions of lives from this weapon. The math is not debatable."

"But we're getting ahead of ourselves," Padmé said. "Even before that decision has to be made, we would still need to gain access to the station's control bridge, its most heavily guarded nerve center. And according to Dr. Erso, all lightspeed jumps must be authorized by the station's commanding officer."

" _Krennic_ ," Erso mumbled.

"Again, this plan is preliminary. We are looking at all available options. We wanted to inform all of you of our plans, because you deserve to know what we know."

Then Anakin stood up and approached the table.

"I have another idea. We bring a team -- myself and every other Jedi willing -- and we fight our way to the hyperdrive reactors. We bring the full power of the Force and the remnants of the Jedi Order down on Palpatine's troops. And when we get to those reactors, we can reprogram them to detonate, which --" He gestured to the holographic display -- "Should create a big enough _boom_ to take out the laser, located nearby, and damage at least a good chunk of the rest of the station. What do you think, doctor?"

Erso rubbed his chin. "Reprogramming and detonating hyperdrive reactors could take hours and is a highly mechanically intensive process. You would need an entire team of engineers just to have a chance."

Anakin smiled. "I built a podracer when I was ten. Let me take a crack at it."

"Is it wise to have so many Jedi in one place?" Padmé asked. "If this fails --"

"If this fails it won't matter, because the Rebellion and any hope of defeating the Empire will die with us," Ahsoka said, taking her place next to Anakin.

Padmé nodded. "Then let me ask… who would agree to this mission?"

Obi-Wan and Mace Windu both raised their hands, while Yoda climbed off the seat he was perched on.

"Happy to assist, I would be."

Padmé shook her head. "Master Yoda, you should remain here to --"

Yoda gave a high-pitched laugh. "Think me unable to fight, do you?"

Mace looked over at Yoda. "General Amidala is correct that if this mission is unsuccessful, all surviving Jedi that we know of will be destroyed. You possess the knowledge and learnings of a thousand years of Jedi teachings. Should we fail… we need you to carry on that legacy in hope that a new generation could rise."

Yoda rubbed his chin. "Very well. A wise judgment, young Master Windu has made. Remain here, provide tactical support, I will."

"Then it's settled," Anakin said. "Me, Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, and Master Windu will find a way aboard the Death Star. We detonate the reactors, and we get out of there."

"How exactly are we getting aboard?" Ahsoka asked.

"We do have the shuttle we stole from Eadu," Anakin noted. "If we fiddle with the clearance codes a bit, the Death Star might not realize it's been compromised."

"And once we've destroyed the Death Star, we can find a way to deal with the Emperor on Coruscant," Obi-Wan added.

But that comment triggered a strange reaction from Padmé, who looked over at Mon Mothma and then back at the group.

"What?" Anakin asked.

Padmé took a deep breath. "There is something else -- something we didn't want to share, as the intelligence is spotty. But based on information from a spy within the Imperial docks on Coruscant, we believe the Emperor's personal shuttle departed for the Crait system two standard days ago."

"So what you're saying is…"

"We believe the Emperor himself is personally overseeing the final stages of the construction of the weapon."

More whispers and mumbling went up around the room. Padmé raised her hands, once again calling everyone back to attention.

"Tomorrow will be the hardest battle that any of us have ever fought. But our cause is just and our faith in each other is stronger than the power of the Empire. I know this in my heart. I trust in each and every person in this room to help restore our galaxy and bring us into a new dawn. Thank you… and may the Force be with us all."

* * *

The rest of the day was spent pouring over schematics for the station, fueling the small fleet of starfighters the Rebels had acquired -- just in case -- and, for the Jedi, training in the practice yard, ensuring their skills were sharp. Ahsoka spent much of the afternoon sparring with Mace and Obi-Wan.

By the evening, as she was trying to calm her nerves in hopes of getting at least a little sleep, she felt someone pull her aside as she walked back to her room. Instantly on guard, she almost grabbed her lightsaber until she saw the person who had grabbed her was --

"Barriss? What are you doing? You scared me."

"There was a lot of volunteering going on in that war council meeting. I didn't want to say anything because I figured my participation just went without saying, but… I _am_ going, right?"

Ahsoka shook her head. "No. We have the team set already."

"Why? Because I'm not a Jedi? I have the Force and a lightsaber, I'm pretty sure the Empire doesn't care what I call myself, and the last time I checked you weren't one either --"

Ahsoka grabbed Barriss' hand, reflexively. "No. It's not that. It's that I…" She trailed off for a second, trying to figure out what these words that suddenly came to her mind were. "I don't want you to get hurt."

Barriss scrunched her face into a look of sarcastic disgust, but there was a hint of pink in her cheeks.

"What? After everything, you're suddenly concerned for my safety? We _just_ did the Eadu thing --"

"This is different, Barriss. There is a very good chance none of us are getting off the Death Star alive. If Anakin can't get the reactors to blow, we're going back to plan B -- flying the station into a star. And that's a one-way trip for at least one of us."

"Do you think I want _you_ to get hurt? This goes both ways, you know."

Ahsoka closed her eyes, and she felt Barriss tug on her hand, pulling her closer.

"You've given me something to fight for, Ahsoka. You've helped give my life meaning again. Let's do this _together_. Like old times."

Ahsoka let out a deep breath. "Okay. Together."

With that weight off her chest, Ahsoka left her to go find the last person she needed to see before turning in for the night. As she stopped outside Padmé's bedroom, she paused, hearing a quiet voice. She peeked in through the doorframe.

Anakin was kneeling next to the bed that Luke and Leia shared. The twins looked to be fast asleep, and Anakin was brushing the little wisps of hair on Leia's head.

"I'll be back. I promise. I'm never leaving either of you ever again."

Anakin looked up from the bed and gave Ahsoka a quick smile.

"They're asleep, so they can't hear me. But I just wanted to say something before tomorrow."

"I'm sure they know that you're coming back."

"I hope so. After everything I've done… I can't leave them without a father again."

"And you won't. Get some sleep, Anakin."

They shared a hug, and she returned to her room, where she found Barriss already fast asleep on her cot.

Ahsoka put her head down on her pillow, and to her surprise, she slipped into sleep easier than she had in years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God... I did not intend for there to be nearly a month between chapters, but I've had a lot going on, most notably writer's block. Thankfully, this chapter helped me figure out the stuff happening in the climax, so now it's just a matter of writing it. Hopefully quickly. There will likely be two more chapters, and maybe an epilogue. Here we go!


	15. The Death Star

The shuttle _Scimitar_ dropped out of hyperspace and approached Crait.

Crait was a white planet, its pristine color coming from what appeared to be snow covering its surface but was in fact salt. Crait was uninhabited, with the exception of some indigenous fauna, and its desolation and position at the outermost reaches of the galaxy made it a perfect safe haven for a secret construction project.

Ahsoka was staring out the window of the cockpit as Obi-Wan piloted the shuttle past a small squad of TIE fighters who paid them no mind. The mysterious Death Star was nowhere in sight.

"The reconnaissance pilots said it was in stationary orbit on the far side of the planet," Obi-Wan said, as if he read her mind. "We should be coming up on it shortly."

Anakin entered the cockpit and strapped himself into the seat next to Obi-Wan.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

"Well, if _you_ have a bad feeling then I'm sure this will go wonderfully."

"I'm concerned that Palpatine can sense our presence. Or mine, specifically."

"Remember, this isn't a stealth mission, Anakin. As soon as we're aboard that station, everyone will know we're there. There will be no clever disguises this time. So your being the center of the universe shouldn't be a problem for us -- for once."

Anakin laughed, sounding nervous. "Yes, master."

"They haven't detected us yet?" It was Mace Windu, standing in the doorway.

"Well, nobody has shot us yet, which I would consider a good thing." Obi-Wan flipped a switch to activate the transponder as they pulled around the side of the planet.

"I'll let them know we're coming and hopefully our codes are still…"

His voice drifted off, and Ahsoka immediately saw why.

A gigantic black sphere loomed dead ahead of them. Ahsoka had seen the schematics and size comparisons, but it was nothing compared to seeing it in person. It was so huge that she could have easily mistaken it for some kind of large asteroid or moon, rather than assuming it was a manmade structure.

As they flew closer, watching it in total silence, Ahsoka saw that the jet-black appearance wasn't the actual color of the station, but rather the darkness of space. Most of the Death Star remained unfinished, an empty shell through which the rest of space was visible, the skeletal structure of what would eventually be the complete battle station. The upper hemisphere was largely intact, filled with cold grey plating, and at the center was a huge round dish -- the superweapon.

Obi-Wan finally spoke.

"Look on the bright side… if that thing destroys Dantooine, at least Maul might stay dead."

Both Ahsoka and Anakin couldn't help but laugh, but they had to cut themselves short as a voice came over the transponder asking for clearance codes. Obi-Wan read them, and they waited an agonizing several seconds.

"Shuttle _Scimitar_ , you are cleared to land in bay A-9."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"I have to imagine that will only work so many times," Obi-Wan said.

"If today goes well, we may never need to have it work again," Anakin noted.

Ahsoka's heart was pounding in her throat as the shuttle approached the docking bay. Everyone gathered in the shuttle's cargo bay -- Ahsoka, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Mace, and Barriss -- hands at the lightsabers on their hilts, ready to fight the army of stormtroopers that would no doubt be waiting for them.

_This was it._

In the coming seconds, everything they had fought for, everything that so many had died for, would come down to a single battle, a single operation to try and alter the course of a hyperdrive.

So simple. And the fate of an entire galaxy hinged on it.

The cargo door opened.

A single Imperial officer was standing at the edge of the ramp, a datapad in hand.

He stared up at the five Jedi, clad in robes and armored plating, and they stared back at him, and after several seconds where nobody spoke, the officer slowly reached for his comlink and Obi-Wan threw his hand out, sending the man soaring backwards.

They ran down the ramp into the hangar, and Ahsoka was surprised at how sparsely populated it was; she figured that the secrecy of the project meant that there weren't many troops assigned to the station. As they made their way across the hangar towards the nearest door, nobody even seemed to pay them any notice.

Then a stormtrooper near the door glanced in their direction, did a double take, and raised his gun.

"Halt! Put your hands up!"

The Jedi froze, and Anakin raised a hand.

"Would you believe us if we said we're here for an audience with the Emperor?"

The trooper opened fire and suddenly the hangar erupted into chaos. Every trooper in the cavernous room turned and began shooting, even if they weren't entirely sure what they were shooting at, but when the colorful collection of lightsabers ignited and began deflecting blaster bolts, the Imperials immediately realized what the threat was.

"We have Jedi in bay A-9!" One trooper screamed, his voice echoing off the walls, " _We have Jedi in bay A-9!_ "

The Jedi quickly exited through the door into the nearest hallway, Anakin taking the lead, and Mace destroyed the door panel, buying them a few extra seconds.

"We have a general idea where the hyperdrive reactors are," Obi-Wan said, pulling out a small holo-projection of the station. "We need to give Anakin as much time as we can to reprogram those engines."

"And then to get on a ship and get out of here," Barriss added.

The five Jedi were able to easily make their way to the turbolifts, as the small garrison of stormtroopers put up little resistance. The sterile black hallways were quickly littered with white-armored corpses. Ahsoka felt that same pang of regret she felt during previous engagements with the clones and Imperial forces -- she could never get used to the feeling of cutting down a living person.

The turbolift stopped at another floor -- Ahsoka lost count of how many floors down they'd gone, but knew Anakin had some idea where they were going -- and they quickly made their way to another, fighting through more meager resistance. Some of the troopers didn't even seem to know the Jedi were there until it was too late.

Taking another turbolift to the hyperdrive reactor floor, Ahsoka continued to feel the tingling on the back of her neck. _Something wasn't right._ Yes, they'd caught Palpatine and the Death Star's crew by surprise, but this was still too easy. Within a few minutes of landing, they were already at the reactors, where they could continue fighting off the waves of disposable Imperial troops until Anakin finished the rewiring of the drives. Could it really be that simple?

The turbolift doors opened. Before them was a vast room, with ramps and walkways running between dozens of gigantic hyperdrives the size of skyscrapers. A fall from one of these walkways would be a very long drop, and Ahsoka tried not to look down.

"We're at the reactors. Skywalker, do what you need to do. We'll have your back."

Anakin looked around the room. "I'll need some time to get into the system and reprogram the drives to explode."

"How much time do you need?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Longer than it will take to kill the five of you."

The voice was unfamiliar. Ahsoka whipped her head around, as did the others.

Standing before them were four individuals clad in the jet-black armor and holding the circular spinning lightsabers of an Inquisitor. One was a Mirialan; another had slate-green skin and a squared jaw; one was a tall, stocky Dowutin woman; and the fourth was clad in a cape and ominous mask that shielded her face. She was the speaker, and she stepped forward with a dramatic flair.

"Surely you did not actually think you could accomplish this suicidal mission? Surely you did not think you could deceive and betray your Emperor."

"The thought certainly crossed our mind," Obi-Wan said, igniting his blade.

"I'm loving the matching outfits," Barriss laughed. "Maybe I joined the wrong side?"

"Your choice was made long ago, _Jedi_ ," the Mirialan Inquisitor said; Ahsoka thought she looked like a dark mirror of what Barriss could have become.

Lightsabers ignited on both sides.

"There's no need for bloodshed," the masked Inquisitor growled. "If Skywalker surrenders himself to the Emperor, we may give you a quick exit."

Anakin laughed. "I find that very unlikely, Madam…?"

"I am the Second Sister, and if you do not wish to come with us, then I will relish the opportunity to put an end to the Chosen One myself -- slowly."

"Suit yourself," Obi-Wan said, and he lunged at her, and suddenly the room erupted into chaos.

Within a few moments, four separate duels had emerged. Anakin and Ahsoka were teaming up on the Second Sister -- their numbered advantage outweighed by her double-bladed lightsaber, which allowed her to block both of them -- while Obi-Wan was ducking and weaving beneath the heavy-handed swings of the large Dowutin Inquisitor. Barriss was fighting the Mirialan, and Mace was fending off the brutish looking one.

"We don't have time for this," Ahsoka hissed to Anakin as she dodged a blow.

"I'm not leaving you to fight this crazy woman alone!"

"Leave her, Skywalker. Abandon her to enact your secret plan, as my master once abandoned me. It is the way of the Jedi."

A shriek went up through the room, and Ahsoka glanced over to see the slate-colored Inquisitor collapsed on the ground in a heap, Mace Windu coolly twirling his smoking blade away from the body as he moved to help Obi-Wan.

As Ahsoka and Anakin continued their pressure on the Second Sister, her thoughts kept drifting to Barriss, stealing quick looks to make sure she was still holding her own against the Inquisitor she was fighting. But Barriss was skilled and aggressive, and she seemed to be keeping her foe on her toes; Ahsoka just hoped she wasn't channeling too much anger or hate in her attacks.

"I will never abandon Ahsoka," Anakin said to the Second Sister, snapping Ahsoka back to attention, "and given that you're nuts, I'm betting your master didn't actually ditch you either."

"When I am finished with you," she snarled, "I will track her down next."

Ahsoka picked up on her words immediately. _There are other surviving Jedi?_ They had tried over the last two years to find Jedi, unsuccessfully, but the realization that the Empire knew more Jedi were still out there gave her a sudden surge of hope. _We have to win here. We have to find them._

That burst of hope was replaced by the sudden shaking of the room as a deafening noise echoed around the chamber.

Ahsoka spun around and saw that the hyperdrive reactors were glowing, bathing the room in blue light.

"What's going on?"

Anakin raised a hand to his face, shielding his eyes, while keeping his blade at the ready. "The station is jumping to hyperspace!"

Ahsoka tried to shout another question, to ask where the station might be going -- even though no one could know the answer -- but the roar of the hyperdrives and shaking of everything around them drowned out even the thoughts in her head, and suddenly there was a huge flash of light and then everything was quiet again. Even the Inquisitors had temporarily stopped attacking, bracing themselves and moving back from the Jedi.

"What just happened?" Mace snapped to no one in particular.

The Mirialan Inquisitor laughed. "I think our Emperor just decided to teach your Rebel friends a final lesson about what it means to defy the dark side of the Force."

Ahsoka's heart pounded in her ears again. _What?_

Anakin pulled out a datapad, and Ahsoka lunged forward to block a blow from the Second Sister, who attempted to take advantage of his distraction.

Then Anakin shouted something that chilled Ahsoka's blood.

" _We're at Dantooine!_ "

"Then it is just as the Emperor predicted," the Second Sister sneered. "Your folly has led us straight to the location of your pitiful base."

"Padmé will scramble the fleet," Obi-Wan noted, but Anakin finished his sentence.

"It won't be enough."

He glanced at the floor, then looked up at the Second Sister. He deactivated his lightsaber and raised his hands, palms out.

"If I come with you, if I surrender to the Emperor, will you spare Dantooine?"

" _What?!_ " Ahsoka blurted. "Anakin, we need you to…" Her voice trailed off, not wanting to give away the plan in front of the Inquisitors.

Anakin and the Second Sister both ignored her. "I cannot provide guarantees on the Emperor's behalf. But I imagine he would find those terms agreeable, for now."

"Anakin, this is absurd," Obi-Wan interjected, and Ahsoka silently thanked him for it. "Palpatine will never agree to spare our base, or any of us, for that matter. We must fight."

"Just… trust me on this. Two years on Ahch-To, meditating and being one with the Force… I can recognize my destiny when it lies before me. Just trust me."

Ahsoka grabbed Anakin's arm. "Anakin, _no_ … you _just_ said you would never abandon us again."

He gave her a smile. "I'm not abandoning you, Ahsoka. I will be back. I promise."

"Never make a promise you can't keep, Skywalker," the Inquisitor growled. "Cere taught me that."

Anakin looked to Mace and Obi-Wan, then to Barriss, then back to Ahsoka. "May the Force be with you all." Then he approached the Second Sister, and she held her blade to his throat, and they moved towards the turbolift.

"After we depart," she said, "Kill the Jedi."

The four Jedi turned to the pair of remaining Inquisitors.

Ahsoka looked back at the turbolift, at Anakin's face, which was serene. She had seen that look before, on Ahch-To. He was at peace, and more importantly, he knew what he was doing.

_I trust you, Anakin._

High above, in the rafters, she heard the _hoot_ of a convor.

The turbolift doors closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're almost at the end, folks. I anticipate one more chapter and an epilogue, and that'll be it! Thanks to everyone for following along on this journey so far.


	16. The Crossroads of Destiny

When Ahsoka had been a youngling, she had attended a lecture by Master Yoda where he discussed the concept of _destiny_.

"Many believe that _chosen_ for you by the Force, your destiny is. Wrong, they are. A choice we make for ourselves, destiny is. Guide us to the right choice among many crossroads, the Force does -- but make choices for us, it does not."

Ahsoka had not paid much attention to it at the time, because concepts like _destiny_ and _fate_ seemed so heady and out of reach that they were of no interest to a child. It was only years later, in the wake of everything that had happened and the choices Anakin had made -- the choices _Ahsoka_ had made -- that she looked back on Yoda's words with a different view.

Here, now, in the hyperdrive reactor room of the Death Star, Ahsoka knew she had reached the crossroads of destiny one more time.

As Barriss, Obi-Wan, and Mace Windu engaged the two surviving Inquisitors once more, Ahsoka found herself frozen, as if the two paths of that crossroads were emblazoned on the cold black walkways before her.

On one path were the Inquisitors. But even if they were defeated, none of the Jedi could sabotage the hyperdrive and stop the battle station from obliterating Dantooine and the entire Rebel Alliance.

On the other path was Anakin, who had turned himself over to the Second Sister and was being escorted to a certain death at the hands of Emperor Palpatine.

Two years earlier, Ahsoka had made a choice to alter fate at the crossroads of her destiny, to help turn Anakin from the dark side, and in doing so had led them to this moment. And although she heard the hoot of the convor, the mysterious Mortis guardian who had gone silent ever since that day on Coruscant, she could not see it, and could not know what choice she was supposed to make.

She was not choosing Anakin's destiny. She never was.

Ahsoka was choosing _her_ destiny.

A sudden rumble from within the station snapped Ahsoka back from her thoughts again.

"What is that?" Barriss yelled over the noise. Ahsoka heard a hint of fear in her voice for the first time in years.

"The station is preparing to fire," Mace shouted back, and the laughter from the Mirialan Inquisitor seemed to confirm his thoughts.

"We have time," Ahsoka said to Barriss. "Dr. Erso said it takes a while for the laser to charge and fire."

"That won't matter if we have no way of destroying it!"

"We do have a way. I know what I have to do --"

Barriss cut her off. "You're going after Anakin? _Are you crazy_?!"

"Just trust me…" Her voice drifted off as she looked at a confused Barriss, who was in turn looking back and forth between Ahsoka and the lightsaber duels several feet away.  
"We're needed _here_ , Ahsoka! Anakin told you he knew what he was doing!"

"The Force led all of us here, Barriss, not just Anakin. I know what I need to do."

"And what's that? Abandon us?" Barriss walked closer, grabbing at Ahsoka's arm as she turned to the elevator, and she started to ramble. "If you want to go get yourself killed, go ahead, but you were the one who told me not to throw my life away and now when we really need you --"

Ahsoka wasn't sure what compelled her to do it, but her first reaction to quiet Barriss was to pull her closer and kiss her firmly on the lips.

When she pulled herself away, Barriss was staring at her.

"I'm not leaving you," Ahsoka said, quickly changing the subject. "I _will_ be back, with Anakin. Just trust me."

Then she gave Barriss a smile and ran for the turbolift, and she heard Barriss shout "I should try to kill you more often!"

* * *

Ahsoka had only a general idea where the Emperor's throne room was from the schematics, but when she had entered the turbolift, she felt the Force guide her to which keys she needed to press. _Guide us to the right choice among many crossroads, the Force does._

When she emerged at the top of a conning tower, she found herself in a dark hallway with no windows. There was a single doorway at the end of the hallway, and standing before it was the Second Sister.

Her mask disguised whatever expression she may have had, but her neatly clipped voice sounded surprised.

"The Skywalker padawan returns! Have you come to offer yourself to the Emperor?"

"Not exactly." Ahsoka reached for the lightsabers at her waist.

In one fluid motion, she ignited both blades and lunged at the Inquisitor, who activated her spinning sword and slammed it against Ahsoka's as she leapt through the air. Ahsoka ducked under a follow-up attack and spun around behind her. _I don't have time for this_ , she thought.

As if reading her mind, the Second Sister gave a harsh laugh. "Worried the Emperor has already killed your traitorous master? I wouldn't be concerned. He will ensure Skywalker suffers a slow death."

Ahsoka tried to ensure the surge of anger she felt was suppressed and let out a deep exhale before swinging at the Inquisitor again. _I must not succumb to rage._ The room was dark, and barely illuminated except by the glowing red and blue blades twirling between them.

"I cannot say the same for you, unfortunately," the Inquisitor snarled. "Your death will be too quick."

Ahsoka locked her blades against her enemy's and steeled herself, taking a deep breath.

"Funny," she said, "I don't have time for you either."

Then she felt the next blow coming, through the Force, and dodged it effortlessly, spinning both blades towards their mark. One severed the Second Sister's lightsaber down the middle, and the other sliced upwards, gashing across the Inquisitor's mask and sending her toppling backwards.

It was a quick, smooth hit, and the Second Sister was now laying motionless on the ground, smoke wafting from her damaged mask. Her breathing was labored. Ahsoka held a lightsaber to her opponent's neck.

"Yield, and we may bring you back to our base for medical treatment."

But Ahsoka could feel the Second Sister's life force falling. The Inquisitor reached an arm to her face, her movement weak, and pulled the mask away. Her face had been gashed open by the lightsaber blow, and Ahsoka felt a pang of guilt. That face was once a Jedi padawan, the same as Ahsoka. What choice had she made at the crossroads of her destiny?

"You will never… win… Rebel _scum_."

Ahsoka deactivated her blade, and the Second Sister's eyes closed. She looked peaceful. Ahsoka wanted to take a moment to breathe, but there was no time. She left the body in the hallway, approached the large black doors, and stepped through them.

The throne room was large and surprisingly empty. Sharp, angled walls and dim lighting made the room look like a crypt. A massive window webbed with black bars was at the back of the chamber; outside the viewport, Ahsoka could see dozens of tiny dots and larger capital ships: the Rebel fleet making a desperate last stand.

Seated in front of the window was Emperor Palpatine, who Ahsoka almost didn't notice, as his black-clad robes blended in with the equally black and indistinct throne he was sitting in. A small flight of stairs led from the throne to the room proper, where Anakin was standing. He turned to her, a look of confusion on his face, and then a vile cackle echoed across the room.

"As I said, Anakin. Welcome, Ahsoka. It has been too long." Palpatine's voice had become even rougher and crueler in the two years since they last met. His face was pale and deeply wrinkled, with sagging skin under his eyes, and a dark hood covered most of his visage.

"Ahsoka, what are you doing here?" Anakin said, raising his voice.

"I'm here to help, Anakin. I felt it in the Force; I need to be here."

"I have felt it as well," Palpatine growled. "Come, child. Both of you may bear witness to the destruction of your pathetic fleet before our battle station wipes your Rebellion off the pages of history."

"I figured he was torturing you or something," Ahsoka whispered to Anakin.

"I haven't exactly been here long," he replied.

"I have no intention of killing you, Anakin," Palpatine laughed again. "No, I shall let you watch your friends and family die, and then the dark side will swallow you, and you will once again be my slave."

Anakin ignited his lightsaber. "I will _never_ be anyone's slave. Not again."

Ahsoka silently begged for him to calm himself.

" _Good_." Palpatine gave an ugly smile. "I am an old man, Anakin, and you are the Chosen One… you could make quick work of me. Strike me down and save your friends… it is the only way."

"He's lying, Anakin. We need to return to the reactors."

Anakin furrowed his brow. "I can end this here."

"Not in anger. If you strike him down with hatred the dark side will consume you, you know that!"

"You know I cannot let you leave, of course," Palpatine said in a conversational tone. "We are only just getting started!"

Anakin raised the blade towards the Emperor. "I won't strike down an unarmed man. But you _aren't_ unarmed, and I'm _not_ turning to the dark side. So stand and fight, and let's end this."

Palpatine smiled again. "Yes, Anakin. Let us end _everything_."

Then he flicked his hand, as if swatting an insect, and Anakin was thrown backwards, his lightsaber flying from his hand and rolling somewhere nearby. Ahsoka ignited her weapons and suddenly Palpatine was on his feet, lunging forward with a roar that shook the room, and suddenly a bright flash surged towards her.

She slammed her blades together to block the lightning, but the power was overwhelming, and she had to roll to the side, letting the electricity arc into the wall behind her. Anakin got to his feet and called his weapon to his hand, swinging it in a wide blow towards the Emperor.

Palpatine ducked beneath the attack and backed away as Ahsoka jumped towards him. With a swift movement, he pulled his own lightsaber to his hand.

"What's the matter?" Anakin snapped. "The dark side isn't strong enough to defeat us on its own?"

"I will show you the dark side, you insolent child!"

Palpatine twirled the lightsaber with one hand, locking it against Anakin's, then used the other to fire another blast of lightning at Ahsoka as she ran to his side. Ahsoka rolled under it and attempted to push Palpatine with the Force, but he withstood it.

With two Jedi on either side, Palpatine gave another maniacal laugh, and then his lightsaber began to levitate in the air before him. Suddenly, he was projecting lightning from both hands and swinging the floating sword at the same time, a tornado of electricity and plasma that Anakin and Ahsoka could barely dodge, blocking the onslaught with their weapons.

"Surely you know that you cannot defeat me. I have seen every outcome, and thanks to Ahsoka's meddling, I shall now take victory over the Rebellion far sooner than I would before."

"I know for sure that nothing Ahsoka did ends with a victory for _you_." Anakin swung his blade behind the floating lightsaber and nearly cut straight into the Emperor's face, forcing him backwards into a defensive posture.

"I grow weary of this," he snapped. "Within minutes, this station will fire and Dantooine will be reduced to rubble. Even now, your fleet fails to flee, and is still within firing range."

Outside the window, Ahsoka saw the specks of light that were the Rebel fleet, green and red turbolaser fire being exchanged with a hailstorm of Imperial fighters and the Death Star itself. Every few seconds, an explosion would engulf one of the Rebel ships.

"Arrogant to the end," the Emperor added with a laugh.

Then he lunged at Anakin, firing blasts of lightning that he was forced to block with his blade, and as he did, he swung the lightsaber down towards Anakin's leg. Ahsoka leapt towards it and, with a single slice, cut straight through the handle.

Palpatine spat and turned the bolts of lightning towards her. Ahsoka had only a second to react, and she wasn't fast enough.

She felt the energy course through her, and for a split second there was no pain, and then suddenly she went flying and the room spun around her.

Anakin shouted and ran towards Palpatine, but he spun back around and released a huge blast of lightning. Trying to regain her balance, Ahsoka watched as Anakin swung his blade up to block it, only to take the full force of the overwhelming power, sending him soaring back just as she had.

Palpatine's evil laugh echoed around the room. "I had such high hopes for you, Anakin… from the moment I felt your essence in the Force, all those years ago, I felt I could control your destiny and make you the strongest warrior the galaxy has ever known." He shook his head. "Instead, you will die here, a failure. A pathetic waste of destiny."

Anakin slowly struggled to his feet. Ahsoka tried to do the same, but she felt dizzy, and staggered against the wall.

"My destiny is my own," Anakin growled. "Not yours. I am a Jedi, and I always will be."

Palpatine frowned. "So be it… _Jedi_."

Then he loosed another surge of lightning, but this time Anakin raised his own hands, and the electricity coursed into his palms as if he was grabbing it. His hair stood on end and energy sparked through his body and he let out a scream, but he remained standing and slowly began to walk towards Palpatine.

With each staggered step, Anakin got closer, and despite the endless blasts of lightning the Emperor was firing towards him, Anakin contained them in his grasp, the lightning surging around him like a barrier.

" _No!_ " Palpatine shrieked. "I will destroy you! I will destroy your Rebellion, your family, the Jedi! _Once more, the Sith will rule the galaxy!_ "

Anakin's voice boomed louder than Palpatine's, louder than the lightning coursing through his body.

" _No. Today, the Jedi are victorious. Today, hope is victorious!"_

Then the room was aglow with blue light, and the energy surged from Anakin's body to Palpatine's, and he let out an inhuman scream that reverberated through the walls and into Ahsoka's bones --

And then it was over. Palpatine had completely vanished from view, the only trace of his existence a black mark on the ground where he had stood.

Anakin looked over at Ahsoka and then collapsed to the ground.

Ahsoka ran to his side, despite the pain that laced through her muscles as she moved. He was breathing, but his pulse was low.

"I think we did it!" he said with a weak smile.

"Anakin, we have to get you out of here," but even as she said it she remembered that the Death Star was still about to fire and that Anakin was in no condition to do anything to the hyperdrive reactors, even if they had enough time.

She drew her comlink from her pouch and hailed the Jedi frequency, desperately waiting several seconds that felt like hours until she heard Barriss' voice and her heart skipped a beat.

"Ahsoka? Is that you? Where are you?"

"Barriss, are you okay?!"

"Yeah, we're all fine, Obi-Wan tried to figure out how to rig the reactors but he couldn't do it, we ran back to the --" Her voice broke up and Ahsoka smacked the comlink a few times, regaining the signal.

"Barriss, we're in the Emperor's tower. I don't know how long we have until the station fires but we're nowhere near the hangar."

"I'm trying to make it to the command deck… plan B, you know? Ramming the station into a star."

Ahsoka froze. "But… we'll all die." But even as she said it, she knew it was the only hope left.

"Only one person has to, right? The rest can escape to the shuttles."

"Barriss, where are Master Kenobi and Master Windu?" She felt herself panicking. "Did they already leave?"

_She stayed behind._

Barriss didn't answer. "Get to the hangar and steal a shuttle, Ahsoka. Get out of here while you can." Then the line went dead.

"She's going to sacrifice herself!" Ahsoka blurted to nobody in particular, but Anakin heard her.

"It should have been me."

"It shouldn't be _anyone_! The command deck is nearby, we can stop her!"

Anakin struggled to his feet and put his hands on her shoulders. "Ahsoka… I can sense Obi-Wan and Master Windu. They've left the station. Barriss made her choice and you know this is the only way --"

"It's not! There has to be another option!" She quickly choked back tears. "I… I care about her, Anakin, and I can't lose her."

Anakin closed his eyes and nodded. "I understand. I don't know if there's another option. But I will help you find her, and we'll go from there."

Ahsoka tried to convince him to leave and let her find Barriss, but he wouldn't hear it. Together, they took the turbolift to the command deck, where they found the scattered bodies of stormtroopers and Imperial officers outside the door. Inside, Ahsoka found exactly what she'd expected: Barriss standing at the controls, hitting buttons and reorienting the station.

"Whatcha doin there, Barriss?" Anakin called out, his voice still weak.

She spun around. "What are you two doing here?! We have maybe five minutes until this thing fires. Get to a ship so I can --"

Ahsoka stepped forward. "I know what you're doing, Barriss. But I won't let anyone sacrifice themselves here."

"Ahsoka, don't be absurd. There are people living on Dantooine, not to mention our fleet that's still in range of the planet. I'm just one person. The calculation is simple."

"But I…" Ahsoka wanted to respond, but deep in her heart, she knew Barriss was right.

_I have to let go._

She felt Anakin's hand on her shoulder. "We need to go, Ahsoka." His voice was quiet.

Suddenly, a louder voice sounded throughout the room, coming from their comlinks.

"Go, you _all_ must. Only minutes, you have, to escape to the fleet."

"Master Yoda?" Ahsoka pondered aloud, and Anakin pulled his comlink out.

"Master, repeat? We're about to ram the Death Star into --"

"Handle the weapon, I will. Escape to the hangar, you must."

That was when the buttons on the panel near Barriss began pressing themselves.

Barriss stepped back in surprise, putting up her hands as if to show she wasn't responsible.

"Master, what is going on?" Anakin shouted, but Yoda didn't answer again, and then the station began to shake and Ahsoka realized it was moving, ever so slowly but steadily.

"I have no idea what's going on, but I have a very sudden urge to get out of here," Barriss yelled.

"You know, for once I'm with Barriss," Anakin added.

They ran back to the turbolift and took it back down to the hangar; every agonizing second in the lift made Ahsoka's heart pound through her chest. As they arrived at their floor and exited to the hallway, alarm klaxons were sounding.

An automated voice echoed through the hall.

_"Firing in t-minus two minutes."_

Ahsoka grabbed Barriss' hand and they bolted for the nearest shuttle, with Anakin right behind them. As they piled inside, Anakin groaned as he slumped his wounded body into the pilot's seat and gunned the engines and they blasted towards the exit.

"We're not going to make it," Barriss said, fear in her voice, and Ahsoka squeezed her hand.

"We're going to make it. Trust the Force."

She closed her eyes, and heard a soft _hoot_ , the roaring of the engines suddenly silent.

When Ahsoka opened her eyes again, the green convor was sitting on her shoulder.

She was about to say something but realized as Barriss glanced at her that nobody else could see the bird, so she stayed silent, feeling strangely reassured.

Anakin pushed the shuttle to its limits, and when Ahsoka looked out through the viewport, the Death Star was visibly encased in a blue glow, as if about to leap to hyperspace.

"Rebel fleet, this is Anakin Skywalker," Anakin shouted into the comm array. "Do not fire on this shuttle! We're coming in hot!"

They watched as several Rebel ships started jumping to light speed, but one cruiser turned and headed back towards their position. Their shuttle soared towards an open hangar and Anakin quickly reduced speed, nearly sending Ahsoka and Barriss through the viewport from the sudden stop. They slammed down in the hangar and Ahsoka ran towards the exit ramp, followed by Barriss and Anakin.

Standing at the entrance to the hangar, looking out at the massive battle station, was Yoda, with Obi-Wan and Mace Windu at his side. Ahsoka, Barriss, and Anakin ran over to him. Yoda's eyes were closed and a hand outstretched, and he was straining against some invisible force.

"What is he doing?" Anakin asked.

Mace gestured to the Death Star. "I think we're about to find out."

There was a low roar, and the massive Death Star vanished into a streak of energy, and a split second later they heard a tremendous noise, an ear-splitting _boooooooooooooooooooom_ , and a great flash of light came from the Dantooine star.

And then everything was quiet.

"Did… did it… is it over?" Even Obi-Wan could barely speak.

Yoda opened his eyes and lowered his hand. "Done, our task is," he said, and then he crumpled to the floor.

Everyone shouted at once and Mace tried to help him to his feet, but he was too weak, and all the Jedi present could sense the same thing: the failing life force within him.

"Master, what have you done?" Mace asked. "We agreed that your knowledge of the Jedi was --"

"No more valuable than any other life, I am," Yoda said, his voice barely audible. "In strong hands, the future of the Jedi is. Chose this path, I did."

"That was incredible, master," Anakin said, trying to keep his voice optimistic. "You controlled the station from a hundred thousand miles away… that's the most amazing thing I've ever seen."

As Ahsoka struggled with the emotions she was feeling, she was surprised to see Barriss' eyes welling up.

"It was supposed to be me. I was at the controls; I could have destroyed it --"

"Young and full of potential you are, young Barriss. Let you sacrifice yourself, I could not."

"But… after everything I've done…"

Yoda gave a characteristic laugh, and it sounded like it pained him. "More reason for you to live, that is. To make amends, to follow a new path. Choose your destiny for you, I cannot. Give you the opportunity to choose your own destiny, I can."

"Thank you, master," Barriss said, and then Yoda gave the group a smile.

"Grateful to be surrounded by friends, I am. Excited, I am, to pass onto the next stage of my great journey."

Obi-Wan touched Yoda's hand. "May the Force be with you, master."

Yoda nodded. "May the Force be with you all."

Then his eyes closed, and he went limp, and despite his very small size Ahsoka felt like his presence was huge.

A door opened, and Padmé ran into the hangar, flanked by Rebel commanders. She raced over to Anakin and embraced him.

"It's over," she said breathlessly, and then she paused to look at Yoda.

"It's okay," Anakin said, pulling her close. "He saved us all."

Ahsoka got to her feet and looked out over the stars. Some immense weight that had been crushing her for the past two years, or maybe even longer, had suddenly disappeared. The fight wasn't over; the Empire still existed, albeit in a decapitated state; but she felt an overwhelming hope that the tide had been turned, that light had been restored, and that the future of the Jedi and the galaxy was, as Yoda said, in strong hands.

She glanced to her side and saw the convor had vanished from her shoulder.

Ahsoka had chosen her own destiny.

Now it was time to see what became of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up much longer than I had anticipated, but we're finally at the end. There will be an epilogue after this where we'll tie up a few loose ends and see where everyone ends up. Thank you for coming along this far! I've been happy with all the reactions and feedback I've received over the course of this fic. I'm excited to finally put a bow on top here at the end.


	17. Epilogue

"Ahsoka! Watch this!"

Leia raised three metal balls into the air and began to levitate them around her head. Each ball was spinning equidistant from the others, and as Leia started walking back and forth in the grassy field, the spheres moved with her.

"That's impressive," Ahsoka said. "But how long can you keep them up?"  
"All day," Leia announced proudly, and almost immediately one of the spheres spun out of its orbit and hit her in the head, and she let out a shriek as all three balls fell to the ground.

Ahsoka stifled a laugh and patted Leia on the shoulder, ensuring she was okay. "I'm sure you'll get there soon."

Leia sat on the grass and crossed her arms. "My dad can do stuff like this just fine."

"Leia, you're seven years old. You're already doing better than most kids your age who are Force-sensitive. Patience is the marker of a Jedi, not skill at floating orbs."

"Yes, it is," said a voice behind her, "And you can ask Aunt Ahsoka yourself -- your father is the master of patience."

Anakin approached them, clad in a long brown robe much unlike the darker hues he had worn a decade earlier. His hair was clipped at his shoulders, and his beard was neatly trimmed. From a distance, he almost looked like Obi-Wan.

"Absolutely," Ahsoka said, rolling her eyes. "The master of patience, Anakin Skywalker."

"Hey, you're in no position to judge. I have _plenty_ of stories about a certain padawan running off so fast she leaves half her brain behind."

Ahsoka snorted. "Took you a while to climb this hill. Getting on a bit in years there, Master?"

Leia ran past Ahsoka into Anakin's waiting arms, and Ahsoka's sarcasm melted away and was replaced with warmth. Even five years after he had been reunited with his children, Ahsoka still felt overwhelmed with happiness whenever she saw Anakin and the kids together.

Five years ago, with the Death Star destroyed and Palpatine dead, the Empire had fallen into shambles. But the war had not yet been won. Petty clashes broke out between warring factions within the Empire; some sued for peace with the Rebellion, while others asserted their authority. Under the stewardship of Padmé and Mon Mothma, the Rebellion formed a new government, fittingly called the New Republic, and from their seat on Alderaan began to broker peace deals with Imperial groups. Within two years, the last remnants of the Empire had been forced underground, and the hard work of rebuilding a peaceful, democratic society had begun.

Padmé had refused the near-unanimous calls to lead the New Republic. Instead, she chose to return to the role she felt best suited her, as Naboo's senator. From her place as one of the most esteemed members of the Senate, she was able to influence policy towards the New Republic's disarmament and its enforcement of sanctions and prison time for Imperial warlords and officers. It was Mon Mothma who was chosen to be the new Chancellor, her powers curtailed by a Senate wary of another Palpatine.

The Senate was in recess this week, which was why Ahsoka had traveled to Naboo to visit Padmé, Anakin, and the kids. As Anakin reached down and swooped Leia up into the air, Padmé came up the hill behind them, Luke trotting alongside her.

"Look mommy!" Leia shouted as Anakin swung her back and forth in the air. "When I'm a Jedi I'll be able to fly for real."

" _When_ you're a Jedi?" Anakin laughed. "Getting ahead of yourself again, aren't you?" He sat her back down on the ground.

"Just a few more years," Ahsoka noted.

"When we're ten," Luke added, matter-of-factly.

As the Jedi Order had begun to rebuild, a Council had been formed and a determination had been made to relax many of the Order's restrictions, including allowing children to remain a part of their families and begin full training at the Temple on Coruscant at the age of ten. It was a new system intended to ensure that children could learn love and compassion from their families, the lack of which had been deemed to have made the old Order cold and distant.

* * *

That evening, after eating dinner, Anakin set up the holoprojector in his office and entered tonight's Council meeting, with Ahsoka by his side.

In an attempt to avoid the insularity and closed-off nature of its predecessor, the new Jedi Council consisted of a small group of elders, but also allowed for public comment from any other Jedi during the meetings. No longer would any Jedi be shut out of a Council deliberation if he or she had something to say. Today, that council of elders consisted of Mace Windu, Obi-Wan, Jocasta Nu, Quinlan Vos, Eeth Koth, and Cere Junda. Following the Empire's defeat, more Jedi survivors had emerged from the shadows of the backwater worlds where they had been hiding and defending the local populations, unaware of a broader Rebellion. They were now eager to help rebuild.

"I believe we have two items to discuss this evening," Mace said. "Caleb Dume, what report do you bring us?"

Caleb was a young Jedi who had been living under the alias Kanan Jarrus after escaping the Order 66 purge. He had been living so far off the grid that he had no idea the Jedi were rebuilding until a year after the Death Star's destruction.

"While escorting a New Republic frigate through Outer Rim hyperspace lanes, we were beset by pirates," Caleb explained. "The pirates were using stolen Imperial weaponry that appeared to have been manufactured fairly recently. One of them claimed to have stolen it from a cargo ship headed from Moraband."

Obi-Wan rubbed his beard. "Moraband is the ancient Sith homeworld, and it remains outside of New Republic jurisdiction. If Imperial holdouts are there, we'll need to investigate."

Anakin nodded. "Master Yoda described many powerful Sith temples and artifacts there. It's imperative that we not allow the Imperial remnant to gain access to them."

"I'll put together a team," Cere Junda said. "We'll do some recon and report back."

"Our other order of business is the ongoing hunt for our fugitive," Mace continued. "But I see Barriss Offee is not present."

Ahsoka rubbed the back of her head. "She's likely very busy, Master Windu. I'll get in touch with her after the meeting and have her reach out."

Mace furrowed his brow. "Understood. But make sure she is aware that regular communication is key."

Barriss had missed five of seven Council meetings in the last month. It wasn't because she didn't want to attend, but merely because she wasn't punctual enough to remember when they were.

With the meeting adjourned, Ahsoka and Anakin returned to the living area, where Luke was playing with a model of a V-Wing and Leia was asleep on Padmé's lap.

"She wore herself out," Anakin observed.

"She's not the only one. This legislation on mining rights near the Unknown Regions is exhausting me." Padmé sat a datapad aside.

"Then work on it tomorrow," Anakin said. "The Unknown Regions aren't going anywhere." He sat down on the couch beside her and put his arm around her.

"The galaxy has been at peace for three years -- more or less," Padmé said, "And yet I still fear that at any moment it could all come tumbling down again."

"The hard work that you've been doing in the Senate and that we've been doing with the Jedi is meant to prevent that," Ahsoka replied. "We're stronger now, and we won't let anyone tear our Republic apart from the inside this time."

"You got us this far," Anakin said, squeezing Padmé's arm. "We all believe in you and what you've built."

"Thank you," she said. "But I couldn't have done anything without you." She pulled Anakin into an embrace, and Ahsoka prepared to excuse herself, but then Padmé said "Get over here, Ahsoka!" and she found herself pulled into the group hug too, everyone squeezed together with Leia asleep between them, and Ahsoka felt at peace.

Anakin and Ahsoka had been waiting at the rendezvous point on Kashyyyk for nearly two hours when Barriss finally arrived at the wooden canopy high in the trees.

* * *

"You're late." Ahsoka gave Barriss a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I had important things to do," Barriss said with a shrug.

"I agree, Barriss," Anakin said, "Sleeping is definitely important."

"Don't even joke about that. These Wookiee sling-beds are so comfortable that I'm pretty sure if I fell asleep in them, I'd never wake up again."

"Maybe we'll have to check one out," Ahsoka said, trying to keep her tone neutral, but Anakin snorted anyway.

"Do you have anything to report on Maul?"

"His trail went cold around a relay beacon at these coordinates." Barriss produced a datapad. "Bo-Katan has people sweeping every quadrant and locking down every hangar within twenty parsecs. He can't get far."

Six months ago, during a transfer from his confinement in the Freezer on Coruscant to a more modern facility in the Chandrila system, Maul had escaped custody. Despite the fact that Obi-Wan and Bo-Katan had been watching over the transfer, an unexpectedly large attack force consisting of Shadow Collective mercenaries under a warlord known as Dryden Vos had managed to attack the prisoner transport vessel and escape before they could be stopped. How Maul had managed to get in contact with them was unclear, and the investigation was ongoing; Barriss had been tasked with following up leads.

"I'm confident we will find him again. There are only so many holes for Maul to hide under." Ahsoka gazed out at the sunset falling on the endless forest before them. Then she spoke a thought she had been considering for some time.

"Do you think that Maul could ever be redeemed?"

Barriss laughed. "What? That's absurd."

"We've given Maul several opportunities to repent for his crimes. He's refused every one," Anakin pointed out.

Ahsoka stared out into the woods. "It's just… I think about the two of you. Both of you fell so close to the dark side, but you were able to pull yourselves back to the light. But in another world…"

"Oh, the 'other world' again?" Barriss put her arm around Ahsoka. "There is no 'other world.' What you saw with that god-thing, whatever she is--"

"The Daughter," Ahsoka corrected.

"Right, well, what she showed you was what you needed to see to change our fates. But it wasn't real."

"I'm inclined to agree with Barriss," Anakin said. "Having come so close to the darkness, I know that there's no way I could have ever fallen in. Not with the love of my family and friends. There's no world, no universe, whatever, where Barriss and I turned to the dark side, or where Maul came back to the light. There's only this world."

"And it's one I'm glad we live in," Barriss added.

But the words still echoed in her head…

_"I wanted you to understand the consequences of your choice."_

_"What choice? I never made a choice!"_

_"You did. But you do not remember it."_

What had the Daughter been referring to? What choice did Ahsoka make?

"You're doing that 'lost-in-thought' thing again." Barriss snapped her back to attention.

"I'm sorry. It's like Padmé was saying the other night… even when the galaxy is at peace, I worry."

"Worrying is healthy," Anakin said. "But whatever comes, we're ready for it. After everything that we've been through, and everything that you've done for us, I know there's nothing we can't stop together."

"Do you remember what you told me when we first met?" Ahsoka asked. "You said I'd never make it as Obi-Wan's padawan, but I might make it as yours."

"You ended up making it without being my padawan," Anakin noted.

"But it was what you taught me that allowed me to succeed, and when the time came, I was where I needed to be. For you, and for Barriss."

"You know where I need to be?" Barriss said. "A dinner table. Shi-shok stew, anyone?"

"One more lesson for the former padawans: never plan a fugitive chase on an empty stomach," Anakin laughed.

_Sometimes, the course of life is changed with one decision._

Ahsoka smiled. Shi-shok stew sounded like the best decision she'd made all day.

* * *

* * *

* * *

When he stepped through the portal, he found himself in a cold, dank cave.

It looked almost identical to the one he had been in moments before, in that cavern on Moraband, but there were subtle differences -- the stalactites weren't as long; that pool of water in the corner was new -- that indicated he was, in fact, in a different time.

When he had opened that artifact and the mysterious being appeared from inside, he had been promised that which he had been seeking. The being's voice had thundered:

_If my sister can change the strands of fate, so can I!_

And with that declaration, he found himself standing before a red-and-black figure he recognized from the past.

"I have only one question for you," Maul said, holding out his elongated lightsaber hilt. "Are you my ally or my enemy? Choose your words carefully."

He placed a hand on his own weapon. "Darth Maul. A failed Sith Lord. I believe you and I have something in common."

"And what is that?" Maul sneered.

"I seek a new way for the galaxy. No more Jedi. No more Sith. Only _order_."

"Order is not what I seek. What I desire is _chaos_."

"I think that in time, you will come to appreciate the opportunity I can give you, Maul." He held out the holoprojector and displayed an image: an adult female Togruta.

"Where can I find this girl?"  
Maul looked closer. "Ahsoka Tano? But…"

"She looks older, yes. She comes from my world, and she manipulated yours."

Maul's eyes widened. "Yes… yes, I know what I sensed, in the Force… my master's grand plan was so close to execution and yet, somehow…"

"Somehow, she changed the fate of your world. She altered its destiny. Which means that you and I can do the same to mine."

Maul lowered his weapon. "I shall hear you out. But be warned: I do not take orders… especially from a mere child."

"I am no child. I am the blood of Darth Vader."

Kylo Ren ignited his blade and held it before him, and Maul backed away instinctively.

"And to any Jedi or Sith that wishes to stand before me, let it be known: this clash of the fates has only just begun."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who has read this, given kudos, and written comments -- this has become the most popular fic I've written on any account or site. I started writing this on a whim after watching the Clone Wars finale in May and did not anticipate it would grow to this length (or take this long to write). I'm proud of where it went and the way the story turned out, and I hope everyone enjoyed it.
> 
> As for that ending... I always intended for this to be a one-off, but as things started to wrap up and I still had ideas and plots unresolved... well, we'll see what 2021 has in store. For now, thank you again!!!


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